A BUDDING environmentalist who travelled to Africa to tackle poverty hopes to have educated around 2,000 children.

Harry Jarvis, 22, of Redmire, Wensleydale, completed a three-month stint in Machakos, Kenya, after raising more than £2,000 to fund his charity trip.

As part of the government’s Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) initiative, he lived and worked alongside the African community on a project that helps alleviate poverty.

The project aims to improve education access, gender equality, active citizenship and inclusive education.

Mr Jarvis said: “It was a great opportunity and I am thankful to those in Redmire who got behind me and helped me raise the money.

“It was more fun than I expected as I thought the conditions were going to be really bad.

“The children we visited at schools would run up to greet you and the people we met along the way were very welcoming.”

He joined Greenlife Africa, which allowed him to visit schools to spread awareness of the problems facing the community.

“The volunteers were given free rein, so I used my own ideas to spread awareness when we visited different places,” he said.

“The highlight of my trip was World Environment Day, where I spent the day meeting different people and managed to talk to around 500 children and adults.”

Following his return, Mr Jarvis organised a travelling expedition to Europe where he hopes to go busking.

He graduated from Sheffield Hallam University last September, before jetting off to Africa in April.

He hopes to start a masters in Environmental Management in September 2018.

“The memories I made will stay with me for life,” added Mr Jarvis.

“I want to thank everybody who made the trip possible and I look forward to travelling some more.”