Lizzie McCombe, 23, spent almost two months in Malawi, dividing her time between working at Harrogate House and the infants' home in Blantyre.

Harrogate House is part of the larger Open Arms project, built by money raised by our readers in 2004, which looks after orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS or poverty.

Lizzie, from Park Row, Knaresborough, said she had always spoken about doing something special with her life, such as helping other people, and that after finding a lack of job vacancies, she decided to apply to volunteer at Open Arms.

But volunteer spots had already been filled, and she had to wait until the summer of 2007 for confirmation that a place was available in 2008.

Lizzie said: "I had lots of images in my mind of what Open Arms would be like - sad, crying unloved babies, poverty, disease, death.
"But I could not get over how happy everybody was. The children never stopped smiling and laughing."

Lizzie, who qualified as a nurse from York University in 2006, helped get the babies from their cots and feed them breakfast before either bathing or dressing them or helping bottle-feed the younger children.

She said she was only meant to stay at Open Arms for four weeks but that she fell in love with Open Arms so much that she stayed for the full seven weeks of the trip.

She said: "From my trip to Malawi, I can say that it is true what people say. It definitely is the warm heart of Africa. However, this is a country in need, full of poverty, disease and corruption.

"I plan to go back to Open Arms next year, by when Open Arms 2 will be built so I can re-visit where I have been and the babies and people I fell in love with."

• To donate to our Harrogate House 2 project online, visit the justgiving website.
• Donations can also be made by cheque, payable to Open Arms Malawi. Donations can be sent to Harrogate House 2 Appeal, Spout House, Church Hill, North Rigton, LS17 0DB.