TEENAGE mums in Africa have learned a host of new skills, thanks to a caring Bishopton woman.

Helen Eckford spent a week in Zambia visiting the Journeying Together project, which supports 100 girls and their children.

She hopes the skills that she and other women shared with the young mothers, including everything from sewing to card-making and even how to bake biscuits, will help them produce goods they can sell to support themselves.

Retired teacher Helen, 68, is a member of the Church of Scotland Guild, which has so far raised an impressive total of £45,000 for the project.

It is run by the United Church of Zambia, in Kanyama – a poverty-stricken township near the African nation’s capital, Lusaka.

Helen told The Gazette: “Meeting the girls was a wonderful opportunity and a life-changing experience.

“Getting to know them and their stories was humbling. One hug said a thousand words.

“Most of them get up at 5am and walk at least 30 minutes to get to the project. They have no breakfast and survive on one meal a day, provided by mentors.”

Helen, who is an elder at New Parish Church, in Port Glasgow, said she was particularly moved after spending time with a 19-year-old woman named Grace.

“She called her two-year-old son Innocent because she told me what happened to her is not his fault,” she added. “What happened to her was not her fault either.

“The project will allow her to complete her education and get her life back on track.

“I will carry her story in my heart forever.”

The project works to build confidence in the girls and challenge social injustice.

They are given the opportunity to return to school to finish their education or provided with vocational training.

Karen Gillon, associate secretary of the Church of Scotland Guild, said members of the United Church of Zambia are doing “fantastic” work to tackle the vicious cycle of poverty in Kanyama.

“This is a project the Guild is proud to support,” she added. “We now better understand the lives of the girls, the challenges they face and the opportunities they are missing out on because society thinks they should leave school and their lives are over.

“The project is helping to ensure their lives are not over and they can be whatever they want to be with the right support and encouragement.”