A TEENAGER is travelling to Africa to help disadvantaged young people this Christmas.

Ellie Massey, 18, will fly out to Zimbabwe next month after landing a place on the 12-week International Citizen Service scheme, which will see her mentor impoverished youngsters on key issues such as sexual health and rights.

Ellie, from Stock – who will study international development at university after a gap year having completed her A -levels at the Anglo European school in August – secured a place on the trip after raising £1,500 for the youth-led humanitarian charity Restless Development.

She reached her total following a dinner at Nirvana Indian Cuisine last week, which followed donations from friends and family, bag-packing at Budgens, Ingatestone, and a £300 grant from the Jack Petchey Foundation.

Ellie will receive a full itinerary in the next few weeks, but on the trip she will also provide careers advice to Zimbabweans and offer computer skills.

She said: “To help people who do not have the same information and life chances we do can really change lives for the better.

“I’ve wanted to do volunteering for a long time and I realised after a bit of research the ICS is a good way.”