Street life

But instead her social conscience has been pricked and life for Sarah, 26, will never be quite the same.

Back home in Lyndhurst she is busy trying to raise funds for the street children she lived with during her stay in Port Elizabeth. And having experienced their life at first hand, she admitted she was finding it hard to fit in again at home.

"It has been difficult since I got back to adjust to life back here. I have found it really hard to slot back in.

"I experienced a real attachment to those children and they have really affected me.

"I found Christmas really difficult because I kept thinking about them and they reduced me to tears," said Sarah.

She set off on her three-month trip to South Africa with only £300 in her pocket, so right from the start she knew she would have to work to survive.

"I didn't go there to sit on a balcony overlooking the ocean sipping a drink.

"I wanted to see the real South Africa that you just don't get to experience as a tourist.

"People think it is such a rich country but, for a lot of people, the complete opposite is true.

"They are living in extreme poverty surrounded by disease and decay - and now I can honestly say that I have experienced it, too," she said.

For much of her back-packing travels Sarah managed to find places where she could live for nothing and earn a few rand to help her survive.

"I was working for 40p to 50p an hour - I was earning the same money as the skilled black South Africans and it meant I really had to think about how I spent my money," she said.

As she made her way to Port Elizabeth she heard about the work with the street children at Maranatha and decided she would like to volunteer to help.

"I didn't really know what I could do to help but I knew there must be something.

"I was the first volunteer who had ever lived with them - all the rest had stayed in Port Elizabeth.

"When I arrived at Maranatha, I could see why nobody had stayed there before.

"I went to my room and I cried. I had to really force myself to stay - I wanted to get out of there so badly.

"But I gave myself a good talking to. I told myself that I had a choice and the poor children who lived there had none.

"It was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life but I knew I must stay for their sake," she said.

When the children arrived back from school she struck an immediate bond with them.

Ironically, back home in Lyndhurst Sarah ran classes teaching local children how to do street dance - and she ended up teaching the South African street children how to do the same dances.

"There I was teaching street dance to street kids. They found it therapeutic and it helped us to become close right from the start," she said.

Sarah lived in the girls' house with eight youngsters who had all been the victim of terrible abuse.

"Two of the girls lived on the streets for three years in a box. They stole, took drugs, drank wine, smoked cigarettes, and sold their bodies. They're now 14 and 16 years old and have lived at the Mission Station for three years.

"Three of the girls are sisters. The middle one has been burned from her chest, down to her tummy, on her back and down the back of her legs - she's six years old.

"And Angel, who's 14, was raped by her uncle two months ago on a home visit and is now pregnant with his child.

"They have experienced such awful things and yet they are so loving.

"I loved to hug them - you could feel how much they needed to be hugged. And after a few days staying with them I really looked forward to those hugs, too, and needed them just as badly," she said.

Back home, Sarah is determined to help the girls and wants to set up a fund to finance their future.

"Just a few pounds can make such a difference - and if I could raise £1,000 it would transform things for them.

"I am planning to do some fundraising events and I would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved," she said.

l If you would like to find out how you could help the Port Elizabeth street children, contact Sarah at streetkids@mail.com.