BRADFORD grandmother Razia Amini is heading to Sierra Leone on her next mercy mission but needs to find £3,500 first to transport her container of aid.

The 40ft long container has been full since May with school chairs and desks, uniforms, 150 whiteboards, about 70 bicycles, folding camp beds destined for mobile hospitals in remote communities and lots more goods she has collected, had donated or bought as bargain lots.

For the past three trips to Africa, including a visit to poverty-stricken Burkina Faso where the 56-year-old from Heaton got caught up in a military coup, charity Humanity First has paid transport costs but it has had to tighten its purse this year with demands on its funds leaving Mrs Amini to find her own sponsors to get the cargo shipped.

Mrs Amini had vowed not to be put off helping needy villages and neighbourhoods in Africa after her frightening experience in Burkino Faso where she had just finished delivering her aid when the coup happened shutting down the whole country and forcing her to wait it out until she could get a next flight home.

Mrs Amini, who has been supporting the work of national aid charity Humanity First for 14 years, hopes businesses across Bradford, community groups, schools, place of worships and individuals will dig deep to help get the waiting cargo shipped out in time for October.

“Every penny we receive will go direct to pay for the cargo’s transport and anything left would be used in Sierra Leone to buy other goods needed out there.

“The situation there is desperate, They are very needy. There are a lot of orphans,” she said.

Previously Mrs Amini has also visited remotes part of Gambia where she handed out school equipment including 200 desks, chairs, books, laptops and bikes.

The bicycles she takes become school property but are loaned out to pupils who live the furthest away from their lessons and would have to walk miles in sweltering heat to get there. Once the children finish their education they give the bikes back for others to use.

Mrs Amini also takes out sewing machines so women can learn skills to fix and make their own clothes and create other garments they might be able to sell to help make a living.

“Everything we take over is going to be useful. The whiteboards mean they can set up classes wherever they want to teach the children and do all their work on them.

“The camp beds means patients in hospitals can sleep up off the floors and the bikes will get more youngsters to school,” she added.

To help support Mrs Amini’s work, call her on 07889 524557, e-mail razia.amini@hotmail.co.uk orgo to justgiving.com/fundraising/Humanity-First1