A Bradford man has been helping to transform the lives of disabled youngsters in East Africa.

David Wright, originally a production engineer from Shipley, now lives in Tigre.

He was in Bradford this week to celebrate his mother's 90th birthday and visit his son Tony who was the lead singer of top Bradford rock band Terrorvision until they folded.

Mr Wright set up the Tigre Trust ten years ago after he went to Eritrea with the Voluntary Services Overseas scheme. He had visited Africa when he was in the Navy.

Tigre, a dry and rugged province, comprises parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan. Conditions are basic.

Mr Wright initially taught teachers and senior students in a remote part of the prov-ince. But the school closed in 1994 and many people of the region lost their livelihoods.

Mr Wright decided to set up the Tigre Trust with the help of a Rotary Club he had founded in Bradford to make life easier for the nomadic people. The trust works with remote communities, mainly on health programmes and providing medical services to families. Many of the children suffer from congenital deformities and disabilities.

There is a severe shortage of medical professionals in Eritrea with only one doctor for every 42,000 people.

Through the trust, doctors from Germany and Holland volunteer to spend two weeks of their time in the country and provide vital medical care.

Mr Wright said: "I help about 60 children a year on a one-to-one basis. With some it's just a case of getting them accurate medical attention." At some stage almost all of the children and a member of their family stay with the Wright family.

One of the many children Mr Wright has helped is Jimeya, a disabled orphan and refugee. Through the Tigre Trust, Jim-eya received prosthetic limbs and now works as an interpreter for the United Nations Food Distribution Service.

Mr Wright said: "The problem is not just congenital.

"We've found a high level of nitrates in the water due to human and animal waste. Now we have put up thorn barriers around the water holes to keep the donkeys and camels away."

He said he had never been happier and to make someone smile was worth more than gold. "Sometimes I get to a situation where I have less than five pounds," he said. "But I never worry, I'm sure that something will turn up."

Singer Tony said: "He's very proactive. He gets children treated in a manner they deserve in the 21st century.

"I hope to go out there and see what it's like.

"I remember seeing pictures of him when I was a child from when he was in the Navy, with white socks pulled up to his knees and white starched shirt, surrounded by all these mud huts.

"So I'm not surprised - he's always had a love for Africa."

For details about the trust or to make a donation, visit tt1994us@yahoo.com.