A holiday in Kenya brought John and Barbara Clegg into contact with children desperately in need of financial support to continue their education. The Cleggs now sponsor five children and have assisted their local schools on other projects.

For retired Aer Lingus pilot Captain John Clegg and his wife Barbara, Kenya has become a second home. The Cleggs travel there each winter to soak up the sunshine in the village of Malindi, about 75 miles north of Mombasa.

The Cleggs first went to Kenya in 1990 and a number of years ago were approached by a local man who tries to find people willing to sponsor the cost of schooling for children from nearby villages.

The government pays for the teachers, most of the time, but parents must pay for everything else including books and school furniture.

The average cost of fees for a year's schooling is £150 for a day pupil and £300 for a boarder. Books, uniforms and any equipment the children need are additional. Families are large and a good income in the area would be about £5 per week.

"Most families cannot afford to keep their children at school and many schools are poorly funded and equipped," says John Clegg.

"There are about 1,400 children attending primary schools in Malindi, and those that can, go on to a four-year secondary cycle. There are three levels of secondary education. National or government-supported schools get the pick of the students and good facilities. Provincial schools are less well supported and district schools get virtually nothing.

"When we say some schools have little or nothing we really mean it," says John Clegg. "No filing cabinets, no cupboards, no doors on the classrooms, no windows. If they have desks they are shared, and things like exercise books and pens are in very short supply. Sometimes we are asked to fund individual items.

"For example, £80 pays for a storage cupboard. Or more recently, we have given a loan to a family to send their daughter to a Loreto High School which was started by Irish nuns in 1936.

"We started out sponsoring three children and we have since taken on two more. We have visited the schools in the area and we've met the teachers and we know at first hand how difficult it is for the families to cope.

"The children often end up missing school for weeks because their parents can't pay. Most come from villages without electricity or running water," says John Clegg.

"We didn't set out to do what we're doing. We, and other tourists like us, became involved gradually and we have since become aware of how great the need is," Barbara Clegg adds. "Many different nationalities are involved and we support different things. Some people raise money at home for their projects. Getting a child through school is a big challenge for families.

"For example, if children go to a boarding school they must bring their own blankets and mattress.

"They also need pocket money, and be able to contribute if there are fundraising events at school.

"All are things we take for granted at home but which cause real financial problems in Malindi.

"The economy is very weak, there is very little employment and when a local industry collapses - for example, the cashew nut industry has fallen apart - it has a huge impact.

"AIDS is also a big problem.

"Eventually, perhaps, one of the children we're sponsoring might make it on to university. That would be a good outcome."

John Clegg says that relatively small contributions can make a big difference to communities with very little.

The Cleggs have contributed to an essential wall-building project and paid for the installation of running water at one school because they were horrified by the toilet facilities and worried about the health implications of the poor sanitation.

"Things were so bad that the classrooms nearest the toilets - basically six holes in the ground - had to be evacuated by early afternoon," says Barbara Clegg.

"We got involved to put this right and this school is the only one in the area with running water."

The Cleggs are particularly anxious to assist with the schooling of young girls because of how they are treated by the social system.

"Girls are very oppressed," says Barbara Clegg. "They have a really hard time and it's only recently they have been allowed into the education system. But there is a very high drop-out rate because of pregnancy and because they are married off very young."

When at home, the Cleggs keeps in touch with Malindi by e-mail. "I get the children's results and school reports so I know what's going on," John Clegg says.

"Sometimes people give me money for Malindi and I'm happy to take it as I'm on the spot and I know it will be put in the right hands and used properly.

"Corruption is a big problem there. But we have a very good man on the ground, Omar Shariff, who is a primary teacher in Malindi. Omar is excellent. He keeps on at the children for us."