Freelance photographer Nicky Lewin has teamed up with a charity worker and a Page 3 model to help save an African school for orphans from closure.

Nicky, charity worker Maralyn Bambridge and model Jade, have organised an exhibition to raise money for the school in Kigali, Rwanda.

It will be held at The Masonic Hall in Manningtree, Essex, on Thursday, August 29.

The exhibition, sponsored by ICI Imagedata, will house 40 14-inch photographs, professionally mounted and framed, taken by Nicky in June during his third visit to Rwanda.

The photos focus on the work of Maralyn, who runs the charity Engalynx and include pictures of the orphans, Kigali Central Hospital, and Maralyn visiting Kigali's slums.

Five 30-inch pictures in 40-inch frames which Nicky took using the Canon D60 digital camera, which allowed him to enlarge the pictures with ease, will be auctioned to boost the fund.

They show positive images of life in Rwanda, such as boys playing football with a ball made out of black bin liners and twine.

And depending on the success of the auction, the trio are looking at sponsoring the wages of three teachers at a cost of around £20 a month.

Guest of honour at the exhibition will be Playboy TV presenter and Page 3 Girl Jade, who has taken a keen interest in the plight of the orphans.

Nicky, who was a staff photographer at the East Anglian Daily Times for 10 years before going freelance, is no stranger to Africa.

In May 2001 he took part in a week-long trip to Ghana with charity CARE International and his photographs of the country's fight against Aids featured in an exhibition in London earlier this year.

Back to the photography index