Charles and Valerie Carr and their three sons John, nine; Matthew, 11; and Samuel, 13; are to leave their home in Morven Drive, Westhill, and move to Burundi, East Africa, in July.

The couple will work with Dundee-based charity Mission International on a project known as the Hope Centre Burundi, to build orphanage houses.

Valerie, 44, said the idea for the momentous move had arisen following a church meeting.

"We were thinking about selling our house anyway and we were going to be building a bigger house on a plot of land", she said. "I go to a Bible study group at the International Baptist Church in Cults on a Tuesday morning and I felt challenged that there were so many people in the world that have nothing and we were thinking about moving into an even bigger house.

"We thought 'we've got some equity in the house which we were going to use for ourselves but maybe we could use it to help people who don't have anything'. We had a discussion and felt it was the right time. "We have four boys but our eldest, Josh, who's 18, will stay here. The other boys will all go to the same English-speaking school in Bujumbura (capital of Burundi), which does English GCSEs".

The couple visited Burundi over the Easter holidays with Mission International director Hugh Henderson, to see the site allocated for the children's homes. The charity sponsors aid projects, mostly in India and Africa.

While there, they visited another orphanage to evaluate the benefits of the 'family home' model, which accommodates up to eight children in a house with a 'mama' looking after them.

They also visited various other building projects in the country to learn more about building methods in Burundi, a landlocked country, officially recognised as one of the poorest nations in the world.

"The country is astonishingly beautiful, very hilly and fertile, with lush greenery", said Valerie. "When we visited at Easter, the geography and landscape immediately made us feel at home. people were so kind and helpful.

"For the boys, this is a big adventure, but they're not so sure about leaving their friends. Samuel is concerned about leaving the rugby behind, but there's a chance he'll get into the Burundi national team when he's there because one of the coaches is at his school.

"I think it'll be a shock to them seeing how people in other parts of the world live".

Once out there, the family will live in the home of an English man who, each summer, leaves Burundi for three months to travel and fundraise. Then they will look for something to rent.

Forty-five-year-old Charles, a member of Westhill Community Council, works for Deeside Timber Frame in Stonehaven, and Valerie works part-time for Covell Matthews Architects and is based in Shell head office at Tullos. Both their employers have been very supportive of the project.

Money from the sale of their home will enable them to be self-financing for a year to complete the project. Mission International has raised a substantial sum towards the cost of the buildings but is still looking to raise further funds to house more children on the site.

Burundi has been devastated by decades of fighting between the two main ethnic groups, leaving the economy in ruins. The country is now attempting to restore relationships between the different groups returning from refugee camps in neighbouring countries, and rebuild the economy.

AIDS is also a major problem in Burundi, devastating close-knit family groups and leaving many children and young people with no one to care for them.

The number of orphans in the country has left the government unable to cope and reliant on outside agencies to help. In Mutimbuzi province alone (a district about the size of the Garioch), there are almost 6,000 orphans.

Mission International is partnering a Burundian Christian charity which promotes HIV/AIDS awareness and reconciliation between ethnic groups, to organise the building of the Hope Centre which will accommodate Pastor Leonard Tuscheiri.

He was orphaned, along with his four siblings, in ethnic fighting in the 1970s. For over a decade now, he has assumed responsibility for around 40 orphans, who will now live at the centre, with him and his family.

To raise awareness of the project, and funds for further buildings on the site, there is to be a Hope for Burundi buffet supper with live music and disco at the Westhill Hotel on June 7.

It is hoped local businesses will get involved by donating items for an auction and also by buying tickets. Further details and tickets, priced at £15, are available by e-mailing: ccarr@eulogia.co.uk or calling 07813 658582, or visiting the website at: www.eulogia.co.uk. for further details.

Anyone wishing to make a donation towards this project can send a cheque payable to Mission International, 25 Tait's Lane, Dundee, DD2 1DZ. As everyone working on the project is voluntary, all money will go towards facilities for the children.