A CARING Stourbridge couple hoping a craft fair will raise funds to help keep orphaned Kenyan children in education.

Brian and Jan Drew founded The Hill Wheeler School Charity to help pupils being educated in the slum settlement of Mtomondoni.

They came across the school during a holiday in 2007 and were shocked to see that poverty-stricken students were having lessons in a building that had no water or electricity.

When they returned, they were determined to help and have raised cash to help develop the building.

Mrs Drew said: "Since then, with the help of friends and family, we have replaced nine classrooms, built a kitchen and constructed a security wall and gates around the school to keep the children safe in this area where child prostitution is rife."

Despite further plans to improve the building, the duo have now had to focus their attention on helping the struggling school remain open, due to an economic crisis.

She continued: "The school was struggling to keep going without the small fees, normally paid by the parents, financing the salaries of the teachers.

"We realised that the cost of sending an orphan or other deprived child to school for a year, was just £125, and so have, over the past four months, been trying to find sponsors for the kids in groups of eight children, which in turn has generated the £1,000 to pay the monthly salaries for the 12 teachers at the school."

They are counting on a craft fair, organised by Stourbridge group Art and Soul, to help generate more cash.

The fair will take place at The Talbot Hotel, High Street, Stourbridge on Saturday September 27.

Visitors will be able to buy jewellery, crafts, bric a brac, cakes and other homemade produce and their will be face painting and activities to keep children entertained.

All money raised from the event, which will run from 10.30am until 3.30pm, will go to the school.

For more information about the charity, visit www.thehillwheelercharity.com.