Buriton fundraisers helped children in rural Africa beat the bug and get back to school.

Youngsters in the village’s sister community Dominase, in Ghana, have missed a year of education because of Covid.

But thanks to donations from people in and around Buriton, the children are now back in class.

They were provided with inexpensive and simple, but vital, ‘Veronica buckets’ that enable them to wash their hands thoroughly with running clean tap water.

It replaces several pupils washing their hands in the same bowl of water, a practice experts believe could spread the bug.

The buckets have been provided by Buriton’s Village to Village Group.

Group member Doug Jones said: “Most children in Ghana have missed a whole year of education.

“There’s been no home schooling or online learning.

“But thanks to small donations here we’ve helped thousands return to school and continue their vital education.”

Veronica buckets were invented in Ghana 25 years ago and have been supplied to all 26 schools in Dominase.

But even before the pandemic, it was decided to provide Veronica buckets to help stop the spread of diseases by unwashed hands.

And local workers made the metal stands that support the buckets so money from Buriton also poured into the local economy.

The group has supported rural communities in Dominase for more than a decade.

This includes providing fresh water wells, school and household toilets, teacher training, reading competitions and books for schools.