A FORMER Beaconsfield High School pupil is trying to raise £2,000 to build a school for orphans in India.

Samantha Braganza, 17, who lives in Denham, says the project is particularly close to her heart because of her Indian roots. She said: "I was born here and consider myself to be Anglo Indian, but my mum is from Madras and my dad comes from Goa."

The family moved to England in the 1970s so the children could benefit from a better education.

Samantha said: "These children live in one of the poorest areas of Rajasthan and desperately want to learn. They don't want money, they would rather have a pen and something to write on. I feel like I have to help these children and give something back because I recognise the sacrifice my parents made for me to be educated."

Samantha was nominated by her school to take part in the Fulcrum Challenge, a two-week personal development programme to give pupils hands-on experience of overseas development work. She was selected from 70 candidates to go to a village in the Rann of Kachchh desert, on the west coast of Rajasthan, to build a temporary school and orphanage for 100 children.

The area has many orphans resulting from the earthquake which hit Gujurat and the neighbouring states on January 26, 2001, killing more than 13,000 people and displacing thousands more.

BAA airport company is sponsoring Samantha's flights, but she has to raise money for building materials. The three buildings will include classrooms, boys' and girls' dormitories and a staff room.

Samantha said: "I have seen pictures of what they are living in at the moment and it is basically just four walls with a sheet draped over the top to provide some shade."

Fulcrum will send more volunteers to the area in 2007, when they hope to have the funding to build permanent structures to withstand the three-month long monsoon season. So far Samantha has raised £400. At weekends she works as a shop assistant in New Look, Slough, and is looking for a full-time summer job in Beaconsfield.

If you can help or wish to sponsor her email braganza_16@hotmail.com