A fundraising teacher is embarking on a wacky rickshaw journey through India next month in a bid to raise money for under-privileged and poverty stricken youngsters living abroad.

Olivia Bartleet, from Streatham, will be joined by her two friends Jamie and Charity Knight on her 12 day mission to India where they will drive 3,700 kilometres across India in a second hand auto rickshaw, also known as the famous Asian cabin cycle.

The three fundraisers hope to raise money for the charity HEAL, which help provide education to unfortunate youngsters living in extreme conditions.

Ms Barfleet said: "We are all really looking forward to the trip and I have been sampling the Indian food in and around Streatham to prepare myself.

"Unlike the others I haven't done anything like this before, let alone in a country like India. Fortunately we are prepared as much as possible with maps and routes plotted which has definitely calmed my nerves.

"As a teacher I am so pleased we chose Heal as our charity and we are hoping to raise as much as possible to help educate more children in India. I am also planning on taking stationary out with me to give to any village schools we pass along the way,” she added.

Olivia and her team will be travelling to the major metropolitan city of Guwahati, where they will buy their rickshaw and drive it to the opposite side of the country to the golden city of Jaisalmer in Rajastan where their journey ends.

Ms Knight said: "The trip will be a major challenge especially as there is constant violence and flooding in the Assam region where we start and we will have to rely on the Indian people a lot as we haven't even bought our tuk-tuk yet."

In their trip they also hope to visit a HEAL project in India to see firsthand where their money will be going.

For more information or to donate visit justgiving.com/AnAutoRickshawAcrossIndia.