Four pupils are acting as ambassadors for Oxford during a visit to its twin city of Leon in Nicaragua, writes Madeleine Pennell.

The youngsters come from Cheney Upper School, which is twinned with the John F Kennedy Institute, and helped raise funds when it was hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

They also persuaded Oxford firms to donate equipment for young people in Leon. While in Leon, the Cheney sixth-formers will also see the progress of a project making school uniforms. The sewing machines used to make the clothes for poor Leon children were funded by donations from Oxford people.

The youngsters are also helping to paint a mural at a Leon community centre and learning about the construction of new roofs in the city.

They have also met Britain's Ambassador to Nicaragua, Roy Osborne. Their visit has been aided by Oxford City Council, through a grant to the

Oxford-Leon Link.

The pupils in Nicaragua Chloe Salisbury, Sandhya Patel, Kiande Manji, all 16, and Sebrina Blackstock, 15 are members of Cheney School's Leon Link Group.

They are being accompanied by the school's assistant headteacher, Graham Henin. Speaking from Leon, Mr Henin said: "We are gaining an insight into their culture and the many social and economic problems they have based on poverty.

We are learning what we can probably do in a small way to change things for the better."