Teenager Staci Beevor is the envy of youngsters at Witney's Base 33 youth centre with her third trip to Africa.

Staci, 18, is one of just 12 people from across the country chosen for a free 10-week stay in Ghana.

She has already spent a short time in the west African state as well as neighbouring Sierra Leone.

She said: "I'm very lucky. I'll be doing a whole load of things. This is going to be a fantastic life-changing experience and I can't wait."

Staci, of Wychwood Close, Witney, is a volunteer and part-time youth worker at the Base 33 centre in Welch Way.

"The main motivation for me on this trip is to make a difference and to learn about how different their culture is," she said.

She leaves on Tuesday with other 18 to 25-year-olds selected for volunteer aid work with an organisation called Platform 2.

It is run by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC, and is fully funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) to give opportunities to young people who would not normally get the chance for volunteering and seeing life overseas.

The group is travelling to a small rural area in Ghana called the Ho Hoe District and will be taking part in projects such as building schools, toilet facilities and community centres.

They will also care for and teach children in orphanages and primary schools, build infrastructures at ecological centres and assist with peer group education at HIV clinics.

The day before they leave, the group will be at the House of Commons to talk to MPs about the trip.

When the group return they will share their experiences with their local communities through photography, music, drama, film-making and song-writing.

Anyone interested volunteering with Platform 2 should call 0800 988 6828 or visit myplatform2.com * Another west Oxfordshire teenager is planning a four-week volunteering trip to Tanzania.

Charlotte Allen, 15, of Parklands, Freeland, is a pupil at Bartholomew School, Eynsham, and will be helping to build classrooms and a canteen for a school in the east African country.

To help pay for her costs, she is holding a garage sale and raffle at her home on Saturday, May 17, from 10am to 3pm.