CHILDREN in Crook and Willington primary schools have been sharing experiences with pupils in Africa through friendships forged between staff.

Three headteachers from schools in Tanzania are visiting their counterparts in County Durham this week, finding very different classrooms from the ones they left behind.

They were invited to England when seven Crook and Willington headteachers travelled to the Kilimanjaro area at the beginning of the year with Gill Blissett, from charity Development Direct.

This week they have been visiting Willington Church of England, Hartside at Crook, and Our Lady and St Thomas, Willington, which established close links through the charity's Just Like You project, based around the theme of health.

At the Nkoraya Primary School, Aaikande Mushi's 260 pupils have to fetch water for drinking and cooking from ditches or a nearby river because they have no electricity or plumbing.

They children eat outside, usually porridge, which is all most families can afford. The government provides books, but no meals and the shortage of teachers is a major problem.

Martini Goi, head at Kivulini Primary School, has only five teachers for his 600 pupils, with one class of 103 proving very difficult to control.

Vicky Kasewa is co-owner and manager of the Shilela Academy in an urban area and is fortunate to have electricity.