COLLEGE students from Coventry are planning a mission to Rwanda to meet people who survived the country’s genocide.

Four teenagers from Henley College hope to embark on a life-changing journey by visiting the east African republic later this year.

Between April and June in 1994, about 800,000 Rwandans were killed in just 100 days after conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu people.

Corey Kasza, 18, Chloe Etheridge, 18, Amii Wykes, 18, and Luke Hand, 17, plan to fly out to the country in August to take part in volunteering activities and will learn more about the genocide. As part of the experience, the students will get to meet survivors and engage in a range of projects to learn what can be done to help prevent such atrocities happening again.

Henley College youth worker Jo Gaffney will accompany the students on the trip.

She said: “The students are very keen and determined to achieve the amount to participate.

“It will be a hard challenge, but I’m 100 per cent sure the students will get there.”

The trip, run by the organisation Discover Rwanda, is a three-week long volunteering opportunity which brings together young people from around the world to experience the Rwandan culture and raise awareness about the causes and consequences of genocide.

Even though the students will be provided with accommodation, meals and tools for volunteering, they need to raise money towards the cost of flights, other transportation and visas.

Henley College, through the Students’ Union, has pledged just over £3,000 towards the trip and the students have raised a further £500 through cake sales, climbing Snowdon, bag packs, fancy dress events and a group bungee jump.

They also took part in a 25km bike ride and a raffle, but still need to raise the remaining £8,500 in the next five months.