A SCIENTIST is swapping the banks of the River Itchen for a fortnight in one of the world's poorest countries.

Lyndsay Howard, who works for Southern Water at Otterbourne, is jetting off to Burkina Faso, in West Africa, on Monday, February 6.

The 25-year-old, from Christchurch Road, St Cross, Winchester, is taking the trip to promote the work of WaterAid.

The charity aims to provide the poorest people in developing countries with clean drinking supplies and sanitation.

She heard about the organisation four years ago when she joined Southern Water.

The company has regular contact with the charity and, last year, Miss Howard volunteered to be the firm's representative to promote WaterAid in Hampshire.

In her regular job, she carries out tests to ensure that Hampshire residents have clean drinking supplies. She believes that this privilege should be extended globally.

"Water is a basic human right and access to clean water and sanitation should be available to everyone," she said.

Along with four colleagues from Otterbourne, Lyndsay raised £250 for WaterAid last year by going on a sponsored walk along part of the Dorset coast.

Now she plans to visit Africa to see the charity in action, thanks to funding from Southern Water.

She is preparing herself for a culture shock as Burkina Faso is a Muslim country and, hardly anyone speaks English.

Accompanied by a translator, she will visit WaterAid projects across the country and remote locations where the organisation hopes to start work soon.

The charity estimates that half the population in Burkina Faso lacks clean water, while one in 10 have no access to basic sanitation such as a toilet.

"When I return to the UK, I'm planning to raise awareness of these issues and their solutions, as much as I can," added Miss Howard.

Southern Water also plans to help by including information about WaterAid when it sends out its bills to customers later this year.

For more details about the charity, log on to www. wateraid.org.