A teenager is swapping Wath for almost three months in the desert lands of India.
Emma Hague, 19, left on Tuesday for Jaipur in the eastern part of Rajasthan where she will spend ten weeks doing voluntary work with deprived children.
A student at Rotherham College, she will help teach basic English and maths to kids aged between five and 11, in the mornings and during the afternoon work with local women or help build health centres and toilet blocks.
She will have to wear traditional Indian dress and observe strict cultural and religious beliefs.
The trip, arranged by Platform 2, is aimed at underprivileged 18 to 25 year-olds.
Emma, of Charles Street, said: "There was a presentation at college where people who had been on the trip before talked about their experiences and that 80 per cent of people in India were poor.
"When I heard that it was something I wanted to do my heart was set on it. I amlooking forward and the nerves haven't kicked in yet, maybe they will on the plane.
" I haven't had a very nice past, this will be an opportunity to gain experience and confidence.
"The main thing I am looking forward to is living the Indian culture. I will miss my nieces and nephews ."
