THE mother of a woman teaching in Kenya, plans to help children living in Africa s largest slum in Nairobi this Christmas by taking out clothes for them when she visits her daughter Kay.

THE mother of a woman teaching in Kenya, plans to help children living in Africa's largest slum in Nairobi this Christmas by taking out clothes for them when she visits her daughter Kay.

In August Kay Parsons, a former teacher at St Nicholas Primary, went with her husband Jon to Nairobi to teach out there for two years.

His cousin, another Jon, has been working for Turning Point Trust with his wife Jo, since it started in 2003.

The couple, whose two children, Hannah and Isaac, are also with them, help the trust provide basic education, training, feeding and health care for children living in Kibera.

"It is a small charity and all the money given goes to Nairobi," said Carol, who lives in Malden Road, Sidford.

As well as running a "micro-financing" programme offering small loans to help young adults start businesses to become self-sufficient, there is also a programme to help families; mostly single parents, move out of the slum, learn how to farm and grow vegetables for sale and again become self-sufficient.

One million people live in Kibera and, says Carol, she has learnt that children must have a uniform to go to school under the free state education system.

For those living in the slum, they have no uniforms and therefore no schooling.

"All Saints Church, which Kay and her husband attended when they lived here, supported Turning Point at their Harvest service," said Carol.

"If people want to donate cash to Turning Point they can, but what I am asking for is clothes for children aged six to young adult, which I can take out at Christmas.

"We are allowed two bags each, which we won't want, so I want to collect children's clothes, such as T-shirts, shorts, trousers, short-sleeved shirts, blouses, underwear, sweatshirts, dresses and skirts.

"Not very short skirts though as Kenyans are quite modest in the way they dress."

If you can help Carol by giving good, new or secondhand clothes, please contact her on (01395) 515674.

Turning Point's website is www.tpt.org.