WORCESTER will always be my beloved home town, but Livingstone, Zambia, also has a place in my heart.

In May this year I volunteered in the African town with a charity called the Book Bus.

The charity is a one-of-a-kind; it aims to promote the joy of reading to children who would otherwise have little access to books through fun and creative activities.

Alongside the reading, volunteers might make puppets, write plays or make up songs to go with the story.

I travelled along with other volunteers to schools and orphanages on a mobile library, which contains books and art materials donated from the UK.

Perry Wood Primary were kind enough to donate maths and geography books they no longer need.

Louise Robinson, a teaching assistant at the school who organised the donation, said: “Pupils at Perry Wood are lucky the school has surplus books to give away.

“I’m glad the unwanted books will find a happy home.”

The vehicle itself is a converted London bus, which is decorated with Quentin Blake drawings.

Best known for illustrating beloved Roald Dahl books, Blake is also one of the charity’s trustees.

Although the Book Bus was only founded in 2008, it is already a huge hit with the children it visits.

My first day with the charity also happened to be the first day the bus operated this year.

The children had not seen the Book Bus for seven months, but as soon as they recognised it they were running down the road alongside it cheering, stopping only when gasping for breath.

The children benefit not only from the books and activities, but from the attention they receive from the volunteers they call ‘mzungus.’ Zambia is one of the world’s poorest countries, and its schools are a reflection of that fact.

Resources are sparse and classrooms are overcrowded, which means that literacy levels are often not what they could be.

Additionally, Aids is rife in Livingstone and affects a large proportion of the adult population.

This means children often delay going to school to help out sick parents at home, or to make an income.

Because of this, ages and abilities differ wildly within classes.

Despite these differences, the children responded to the activities us volunteers planned with equal enthusiasm.

A little bit of encouragement from volunteers goes a long way to boost their confidence in their abilities.

One of my favourite children was a 13-year-old girl called Moono, who was an orphan at Lubasi Home orphanage.

Initially, she was very shy and wouldn’t read out loud unless somebody else read first and she repeated. I ended up spending some one-to-one time with her, and after a couple of sessions not only was she reading out stories by herself, but she became the teacher.

She taught me all sorts of Zambian dance moves, games and songs.

Although she was not the best reader in the class, she was very street smart and a great dancer.

Her greatest inspiration were her carers, who took her in when she was only five years old and have been there for every major event in her life.

It is hard to describe a typical day on the Book Bus as there isn’t one.

Teachers might send out an entire year to see us, or the school might decide to shut last minute because of a teacher’s strike.

But every day spent with the children was a rewarding one, whether we were making Gruffalo masks, arguing over whether Spongebob Squarepants is square, or bouncing inflatable globes.

Aside from volunteering, there are many things to do in Zambia.

A trip to Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world is a must.

You shouldn’t miss high tea at the Royal Livingstone hotel either, and the cultural dance show ‘Dancing around Zambia’ is phonomenal.

The Book Bus operates in Meheba and Ecuador as well as Livingstone, and there are plans for the charity to start up in Malawi.

The project runs all year in Ecuador, and from May to November in Livingstone and Meheba.

Seth Harris, volunteer manager of the Book Bus, said: “Volunteers are pivotal to success of the Book Bus, without them the wheels would simply stop turning.”

If the Book Bus sounds like an unmissable opportunity, Mr Harris and myself urge you to visit thebookbus.org to find out more.

If volunteering is not an option, the charity gladly accepts donations of books and money.

by Claire Twyman