A TEENAGER who swapped the comforts of her Kendal home for three months in Africa has spoken of her "amazing" experience.

Alice Taylor, 18, who studied biology and applied medical science at Kendal College, lived with a "lovely" host family in Malawi during her placement in the city of Mzuzu.

During her stay in one of Africa's smallest countries, Alice worked with secondary school pupils to raise awareness of sexual health, as a volunteer with Voluntary Service Overseas, the international development charity. The teenager was taking part in the International Citizenship Service, a UK government-funded volunteer programme for young people aged 18-25.

"In Malawi I also got involved in community-run youth organisations, such as Pace for Social Change and went to visit them regularly to help teach sport and arrange community action days," said Alice. "Pace for Social Change provides young people with a safe place and gives them the chance to take part in sports activities, games, library club and youth discussion."

Life in Malawi was "very different from back home", said Alice, who loved her time living with a host family. Their home had electricity and running water, albeit cold. Electricity blackouts happened most days, and Alice explained: "In these cases, we lit the charcoal burner and cooked outside and had to make sure we ironed our clothes the night before, if we had power. It was interesting to see how people coped in these situations and it was a great learning curve for me."

Alice is now looking forward to studying occupational therapy at the University of Cumbria.