EXETER'S Susie Golics is taking part in a trip to discover the true value of water for an African country where 10,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoea.

Susie, aged 23, from The Quay, Exeter, is representing South West Water on a trip to Zambia to see the impact of WaterAid's work there.

The visit, taking place between February 12-20, will see Susie spend a day in the life of a local family living without clean water and sanitation, learning first-hand how they survive.

Other visits will include meeting children in local schools, sitting in on hygiene education sessions, helping to carry water and some construction work.

Susie, who is an employee development consultant at South West Water's headquarters in Rydon Lane, Exeter, said: "I am looking forward to meeting local people and witnessing how their lives have been radically improved by the simple act of giving them access to the essentials for life: clean water, sanitation and hygiene education."

Zambia has a population of about 13 million. Diseases are common throughout the country due to contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation. The charity WaterAid estimates that only 60 per cent of people have access to water and 49 per cent have sanitation.

WaterAid's development manager Nikki Skipper said: "It's easy to take clean water for granted, but 884 million people do not have this basic necessity. This trip is a chance for Susie to see for herself the work that WaterAid is doing to change this."

You can follow Susie's progress on Twitter via @SusieWaterAid.