A YORK volunteer is jetting to Sri Lanka to rebuild a school which was washed away in the tsunami disaster.

Paul Thomas, 38, is taking two weeks off from his job at Norwich Union to help lay the foundations for a new five-roomed schoolhouse in the village of Mahamodara, on the island's south-west coast.

The village has about 10,000 residents, and 33 people were killed in the tsunami, some of them schoolchildren, while several others are still classified as missing.

Paul, who lives in Acomb, said: "I am a little bit cynical about putting money in buckets as I always have that fear it won't get to the right place, and I figured it was time to get my hands dirty."

"At the ripe old age of 38 I consider I've had a lot of fun and luck, and would like to give something back."

The rebuilding project is being co-ordinated by American volunteering organisation Global Crossroads.

Paul will help with the second phase, which involves digging, hauling mud, cement work and preparing mortar.

He said it will be a far cry from his day job as a governance manager in Norwich Union's IT and project department.

"This is a total adventure for me," he said. "I've put down patios, but that's about it."

Paul will fly into the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on March 5 and, after an overnight stay in Chilaw, he will travel to his accommodation in Galle, 2km south of Maham-odora. The volunteer team will work from 9am to 5pm each day, with a two-hour lunch break, but there will be a couple of days off for sightseeing, and visiting other affected areas and tsunami survivor camps.

Paul has paid for all the flights, a host of inoculations and specialist equipment, at a cost of about £1,400 so far, but is hoping to find sponsors to help with the costs or donate items he will need, such as mosquito nets.

If you can help, phone Paul on 07976 639303.

Global Crossroads is running a number of two-week tsunami reconstruction projects in Sri Lanka until June and places are still available.

For more information, visit www.globalcrossroads.com

Updated: 11:12 Friday, February 11, 2005