TWO teenaged sisters from Peter Tavy have recently returned from an 'amazing' trip undertaking voluntary aid work in Rwanda.
Hannah and Katy Parsons were accompanied on the trip last month by David and Kathy Palmer from Tavistock and their eight-year-old daughter Helena.
The teenagers went on the trip with backing from King's, the Tavistock community church which has established close links with Rwanda through local Christian leader Sadiki.
Hannah, 19 and Katy, 17, said they learnt a great deal from their fortnight visit meeting the people of a country ravaged by civil war seven years ago.
'It was amazing to see how well they coped and made the most of what they had, they didn't complain and were really, really happy,' said Katy.
Katy found the week she spent in Gahini's physiotherapy hospital in the north-east of Rwanda very rewarding. She hopes to work with children and was delighted to get experience in the occupational therapy unit.
As well as playing games and making toys with the children, the girls helped to teach English to the head of the hospital.
Before moving on to Gahini, the sisters spent the first week of the visit at a youth camp.
With most of the proceedings in Rwandan, the girls needed an interpreter to bridge the language gap.
The youth camp grew in size during the week, with more than a thousand young people attending on some days.
The highlight for Katy was watching traditional African dancing and performances.
This was the first visit the girls have made to Africa, and Katy said she would like to return to the continent again.
She had planned to take a gap year working with young people in South Africa, after finishing her A-levels, but would now like to return to Rwanda to see new-found friends again.
'They were very much appreciated over there and it was an interesting experience for them,' said David Palmer, after his fifth visit to Africa.