A little-known Oxfordshire charity is trying to raise its profile to help abandoned street children in one of the poorest countries in Africa.

John and Gill Hedge with Mahmadou Kone, centre, director of Jeunesse Et Developpement

Mali Development Group hopes to raise at least £6,000 this year.

The cash will be used to fund shoeshine and hairdressing businesses and sewing workshops to help children achieve self-sufficiency through training and employment.

Didcot couple John and Gill Hedge set up the group a year ago after a meeting with a friend who worked for Jeunesse et Developpement -- or Youth and Development, in English -- an important non-governmental organisation in the former French colony in West Africa, which works with the street children in the capital, Bamako. They have already bought a motorbike for health workers who provide basic services and health promotion for 14 villages where health care was virtually non-existent.

"It is clear the initiative is having a major impact, particularly in health promotion," said Mr Hedge, who works as a probation officer.

For more details about Mali Development Group -- including membership subscription rates -- log on to the group's website at www.malidg.org.uk or call Mr and Mrs Hedge on 01235 817076.