1. Driven by poverty, children all over the world have to undertake dangerous work to support their families. GOLD MINING IN GHANA

2. Raymond is just one of over 10,000 children in Ghana who have to work in informal gold mines in order to survive. “I wake up early in the morning at 6am. I get ready, collect my tools and leave my home around 7am to walk to the mine.”

3. GOLD MINING IN GHANA Pits are dug into the earth by hand. They can be about 3m deep and 1m wide. Underground the pits are badly ventilated, poorly reinforced and at risk of collapse.

4. GOLD MINING IN GHANA Tools such as pick axes and shovels, are used to dislodge the soil that might contain gold. “One will dig and one will carry. We have to carry the pans of earth up and down, up and down, and it is very heavy.”

5. GOLD MINING IN GHANA The soil is collected in bowls and brought to the surface. It is then carried to the water’s edge where it is panned to separate the gold from the soil. “In a day I go backwards and forwards between the mines and the river around twenty times.”

6. GOLD MINING IN GHANA The bowls are lowered into the water and shaken from left to right. This causes the gold, which is heavy, to sink to the bottom. The soil at the top, which is lighter, is swept away.

7. GOLD MINING IN GHANA The remaining gold is transferred to a smaller bowl and taken to be sold. Children earn an average of 5 Ghanaian Cedis a day, which is the equivalent of £1.50. But if they don’t find gold, they work the entire day for nothing. Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England and Wales); SC039730 (Scotland). Photo credits: Christian Thompson and Tara Carey. SR14_296