A Norfolk headteacher hopes to teach her pupils about the day-to-day life in a rural African village by living in one herself.

Gill Howard, 51, who works at Attleborough Infant School, will be travelling to Bulabakulu, Uganda, in January to volunteer at its local primary school.

Joined by her husband Richard, 64, she will be teaching some of its eager youngsters as well as providing advice and training for its teachers.

The two-week placement has been organised through Ugandan charity Africa Greater Life Mission UK which supports widows and more than 100 orphans who live in the village.

The couple are self-funding the trip, but hope to raise as much money as possible which will be used to buy equipment and stationary for the poorly resourced school from the country's nearby capital city Kampala.

A collection at this year's Infant School Christmas concerts will be used to support the fund.

Mrs Howard said: 'I'm very excited about it. I always wanted to go out to Africa and work with orphans. Part of it is about giving something back. Four years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, but I am one of the lucky ones and this is me giving something back.'

She hopes her experiences will be an eye-opener for her young pupils who may have no idea of what school life is like for children in some of the world's poorest areas.

'When I get back back I will be introducing the project to the children and a doing a Power Point display showing them the children in Uganda. By Ugandan standards the village is good, but our children will probably find it quite different. Some of children in Bulabakulu come from outlying villages and will walk four to five miles to get to school,' said Mrs Howard.

'This is all about increasing community cohesion especially for the children in Norfolk who may not know much about what's outside the county.'

To donate, contact Gill Howard at Attleborough Infant School on 01953 453127.