"Jennifer Shelton chats to a social worker and a musician from Cambridge who show the true spirit of Christmas in their fundraising for the street children of Ecuador.

CHRISTMAS is a time for giving, whether it's a beautiful piece of jewellery lovingly wrapped or a delicious turkey dinner for the whole family.

It is also a time for remembering those less fortunate than ourselves, which can be hard to do when festive plans are in full swing.

Yet two friends in Cambridge have hit upon an unusual and inspiring way to raise money for a worthy cause. Seated cosily in a riverside pub, they tell me how they have dedicated their time, money - and a lot of love - to helping others.

In 2005, Sarah Clarke, a social worker in the city, visited Ecuador to work with children in the poorer areas of the capital, Quito. Taken aback by the lack of basic necessities, including education, healthcare and housing, she decided to set up a foundation to help give disadvantaged children the chance of a better life.

"I've been a social worker in England for a long time and worked with children in really desperate situations, but this really blew me away," admits Sarah. "Seeing the little children on the streets who are about seven or eight years old living independently, having to work 10 hours a day to get enough money to eat; sleeping under trees, in shop doorways or under cardboard boxes - it's just a different world."

Sarah remained in Quito for about four months then came back to England, but after two months decided she wanted to go back. "I found it really hard to settle here and I felt like I had to do something," she says.

With the help of family and friends, Sarah set up The Mashi Foundation, named after the Quechua word for "friendship". So far, through the foundation, and by making regular visits to Quito, Sarah has managed to make a huge impact on young lives, providing medication, equipment for surgery, clothes and much more.

Among those helping her is Sarah's friend, local musician Adrian Killens, known as Aidy. Adrian took part in a concert organised by Sarah in July, which raised more than £700 for the Mashi Foundation, and recently played at a charity gig at The Portland Arms, in Cambridge, with three other local bands.

"What I'm doing is more for fun and exposure, and any money I make is a bonus," he explains. "So I thought any money I make I would give to Sarah for the charity."

Adrian recorded his first album in 2003 and has gained a fantastic local following since then. He recently appeared on 209 Radio performing his song Prettyish from his latest album, Selected Demos 2002- 2009.

Describing his music, Adrian says: "It's a little bit of the Eels and Beck with a tiny splash of Britpop in there as well. A lot of it is very guitar-based but there's also a lot of computer-type Prodigy/Moby-type stuff."

Adrian sings, writes music and plays the guitar - which he learned to do quite by accident at the age of 14.

"My mum wanted to learn to play so she bought one for herself, but it just sat behind the bedroom door and no one ever used it," he smiles. "So one day I picked it up and had a go."

As well as playing local charity gigs, Adrian is donating 10p of his own money for every album downloaded from his website to the Mashi Foundation. "The number of downloads is just entering into triple figures now."

With such support, Sarah was able to apply to make the Mashi Foundation a registered charity in the summer, and is currently awaiting confirmation. This, she believes, will make a huge difference to the lives of the children she met.

"They were some of the most affectionate and warm children I've ever come across," says Sarah. "They are so desperate to learn new things and change their lifestyle, but they don't have a mechanism for doing that. It's all about money, unfortunately."

In Quito, Sarah discovered that children were not allowed to attend school without proper footwear or uniforms - something which many parents could not afford, no matter how eager they were to give their child an education.

Providing shoes and appropriate clothing, therefore, has been one of Sarah's main priorities.

Another scheme which Sarah aims to introduce is a "sponsor parent" programme for children either living independently out on the street or in orphanages. This will rely on people in the UK or elsewhere donating a certain amount of money to pay for a young person to go to school.

"It always shocks me how giving people are. I'm always bombarding people with stuff and they're always really willing to help out," she adds.

Sarah is going back to Ecuador in January when she hopes, with more funds and as part of a registered charity, she will be able to make a truly notable difference to young people's lives."

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