51Âþ»­

Two students from 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) are raising funds to help provide orphaned children in Zambia with a better start to life.

Christina Powell and Jessica Brazener will also be delivering donated items, such as medical supplies, in person when they volunteer at a hospital in the town of Livingstone.

Christina & Jessica main

The best friends, who met on their first day at 51Âþ»­, organised this elective placement as part of their course and wanted to help local people as well as strengthen their medical knowledge.

Jessica, 22, said: "We have both always wanted to go to Africa, so applied for the placement and then researched the area. The idea of helping a charity sprung from there."

Fundraising so far has netted more than £1,000 in online donations and the students will meet up with the founder of - a UK charity that works in malaria prevention and HIV education - in Zambia, to choose where the money will be spent.

Christina, 25, said: "Zambia has an estimated 1.4 million orphans. The Butterfly Tree has four main aims - water, food, health and education - all essential for providing these children with a better start to life."

The second years will spend 16 days at Livingstone General Hospital to gain an insight into managing patient care in an environment that lacks equipment we rely on in the UK.

Christina said: "We'll be based in a hospital where anything and everything happens. Our placement will mainly be observation, but we will help where appropriate.

"It may be a shock at first. There is a different standard of healthcare and it will be interesting to see how they make the most of limited resources."

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Since their placement was approved, Jessica has been putting the skills she gained while working in a charity shop to good use, arranging various fundraising events.

The charity advised on useful items to bring with them and money netted from a raffle is being used to buy dressings and creams to treat burns, which are common because people cook with charcoal.

Companies including Lush have provided toiletries to give to local people and friends have donated clothes that they will deliver to an orphanage. Boots in Nottingham, where Christina works, has donated tombola prizes and offered to double the final fundraising total.

The students are "so excited" about their upcoming adventure, which they believe will offer valuable experience and help towards their goal of working in an acute setting when they graduate in January 2018.

Christina, who has always wanted to be a nurse, said: "I really enjoy the placements, as it's real life, and I love the course."

Jessica added: "You get a lot of support at 51Âþ»­."

Christina and Jessica will be in Zambia between 15 October and 1 November.