A DEDICATED volunteer has raised hundreds of pounds for impoverished communities in Kenya — by living off 80p a day for a week.

Sally Shephard lived below the international poverty line to raise money for Mattumaini, a project dedicated to the development of the community in the slums of Nakuru, the fourth largest town in Kenya.

So far, she has raised about £320 from the challenge and she hopes to raise £400.

Miss Shephard, aged 28, of Heaton, raided the local markets and supermarkets to find fresh food at a reasonable cost — with more success than she had originally anticipated.

She said: "I found the challenge surprisingly easy. I was never hungry and I had loads of money left even after I'd bought myself the ingredients.

"My diet during those seven days wasn't that different to what I would have normally.

"This challenge shows that it is possible to live quite comfortably from low-cost ingredients. I think people who say they can't eat healthily with not much money are just making excuses, as unhealthy food is often so expensive in comparison."

Miss Shepherd's diet during the seven days consisted of soups, carrots, onions, potatoes and eggs.

Some of the meals she made included omlettes, potato cakes and eggs on toast.

Miss Shepherd worked as a glass artist and a teacher, before becoming assistant manager of Projects Abroad Vietnam for 16 months, where she spearheaded the start of a kindergarten for an orphanage in Ha Noi.

In November last year, she moved to Kenya to become the Care and Teaching Coordinator for Projects Abroad Kenya.

Miss Shepherd returned home in October and is due to become a special needs worker next month.

To find out more about Miss Shepherd’s challenge or about the work of Mattumaini, go to www.mattumiani.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Living below the poverty line’.

To make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/mattumaini. Donations can be made in dollars via PayPal.