Ruthie Lockyer and Pamela Harding have so far, with the help of local groups, raised nearly £15,000 for improvements to Kishamba school and village, 100 miles from Mombassa, Kenya.

The pair will be travelling to the village later this month to buy computers for the school to add to the plethora of improvements already purchased.

Ruthie explained that the charity had been set up by her and Pamela after a holiday for Ruthie's retirement in 2006.

The pair had been on safari in Tanzania before they spent a week in Kenya.

While staying in Kenya they got talking with a waitress, Clemence Tayo, and asked her if she knew of any local schools which were in need of assistance.

Clemence asked her husband, Elisha, to look into the matter and he found Kishamba School, about 100 miles from Mombassa.

The town women then set up a bank account on their return to Welshpool which would pay any funds raised directly to an account set up for the school by its headteacher, Gasto Kori.

Ruthie and Pamela then set about raising money to help the school.

They finally got their chance to see what their fundraising efforts had achieved when they travelled to Kishamba in January 2007.

On their arrival the pupils at the school performed a concert for them with singing and dancing before they were granted the honour of being baptised into the tribe.

As part of their baptism both were given new names – Ruthie, Alukundo, which translates as 'love', and Pamela, Matunda, which translates as fruits.

Ruthie said the baptism was a great honour.

She said both she and Pamela are 'very passionate' about the charity and said they hoped to be able to help others in the same way.

"Once this school is up and running we will visit the local health centre and maybe organise some link-up with them," she said.

Ruthie also explained how gratifying it is to be able to help people, she said: "It's just amazing how happy these people are, especially when they have nothing."

So far around £14,500 has been raised by the Kishamba School Charity, which has paid for many improvements including new storm shutters, painting the school building and renovating the roof, renovating a latrine and building a new one, repairing the schoolhouse, employing local carpenters to build tables and chairs, setting up a hardship fund for families unable to pay school fees, starting a porridge programme for younger pupils and putting electricity in the school.

Some of the fundraising activities carried out so far included, a coffee morning organised by the charity and held at Welshpool Town Hall, which raised £440, a sponsored walk around Powis Castle by members of Slimming World, which raised nearly £400, and a Guilsfield Women's Institute coffee morning with stalls which raised £250.

Guilsfield Primary School has also linked up with Kishamba School as a result of the charity's work, initiating a pen pal programme.