Jackie Cook, 46, will visit schools in the country's Aids-stricken townships to give sex education lessons while carrying out her unpaid job helping gap-year students.

The youth worker for Emmanuel Community Church, in Duffield, has to raise £28,000 to fund her work with Christian charity Oasis UK.

While in South Africa, she will be based in Cosmo City, a poor area outside Johannesburg.

Mrs Cook said: "While I work, I will get the opportunity to travel to schools and educate them about things like contraception.

"It was not so long ago that the South African government was denying it had an Aids problem. Hopefully the situation has now improved."

Mrs Cook will work with gap-year students who will also be helping South African Aids victims.

She said: "My main job will involve finding projects and housing for gap-year students who come out to work for six months.

"In some cases that will involve working in an Aids hospice.

"People who are in there don't have a lot to occupy them because they haven't got much time left.

"We send people in, for example, to cook and play games with them."

Mrs Cook, of Milford Road, Duffield, said she was not worried about going to South Africa, despite recent violence against immigrants in the country's townships.

She said: "I don't feel concerned. I'll have to be wise and listen to what the locals have to say about safety.

"I just want to do what I can to help the people out there."

Mrs Cook, who also teaches sex education at Duffield's Ecclesbourne School, said it was not the first time she had done charity work in Africa.

For three weeks in July and August this year, she helped set up an orphanage in the west African country of Togo as part of a trip with fellow church workers.

She said: "That means I have experience of third-world Africa and the kind of poverty I can expect."

Mrs Cook has two children, Ben, 19, and Chris, 21, who are very supportive of their mum and plan to visit her in Africa.

Oasis UK describes itself as "a global Christian family demonstrating faith at work in a world of need".

It was set up in 2006 by a Johannesburg couple who wanted to help those living in the local townships and shanty towns.

People who wish to donate money to fund Mrs Cook's work should e-mail her at mumacook @aol.com.

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