A BARNARD Castle nurse is on a fundraising drive to help build a road to her childhood village in Lesotho.
The village of Ha Ntisa lies at the top of a small mountain and has a population of about 100 families.
Villagers rely on a 4km track, over steep and rugged terrain, to access shops and services at the foot of the mountain.
Lydia Semuli, who works at the Richardson Hospital, hopes to change the lives of people in the village by replacing the track with a gravel road.
It will cost about £11,000 to upgrade the track.
She said: “Walking on intertwining rugged terrain exhausts the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and those who have health problems.
“My childhood friends and I have decided it’s time to build a road in order to improve the lives of those living at Ha Ntisa and the surrounding villages.”
She added: “In order for the poorly to receive any medical attention, they have to be transported by improvised stretchers or animal drawn carts to the mountain base.”
Similarly children have to use the track to attend school each day.
The mum of two, who moved to the UK in 2006, added that high unemployment figures in the mountain kingdom meant that it is impossible for the villagers to raise enough cash to upgrade the track themselves.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the cause can visit gofundme.com/f/help-my-village-to-build-a-road.
