A girl from St Albans has embarked on an epic swimming challenge to raise money for children affected by conflict in Gaza and Israel.

Ria, aged nine, is raising money for Save the Children's Gaza Emergency Appeal by swimming 1,000m.

Ria's proud mum, Annie, said that her daughter is keen to "change the world" and that "ever since she's been very little, she's always wanted to help her community - it's reining her in that's the issue!"

Annie said that Ria was prompted to take action after seeing videos of events in Gaza on Newsround, and particularly the devastating impact on children there.

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Annie said: "Ria feels so strongly about it. She was shocked by what she saw, and talked about how unfair it was.

She told me that she wanted to do something herself, that 'we have to try to help these people'."

Ria has already completed half of the challenge, having swum 500m. While her initial aim was £1,000 for 1,000m, she has already exceeded that total and is keen to add to it.

You can donate by visiting her JustGiving page here.

Save the Children's Gaza appeal is distributing essential supplies, delivering mental health support services, providing fuel and water infrastructure for hospitals, and setting up child-friendly spaces for people in Gaza.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 10 children have died in a Gaza hospital in recent days due to a lack of food.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says that more than 30,500 people, including 12,300 children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its campaign to destroy Hamas in October 2023.

Israel was responding to a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 253 taken back to Gaza as hostages.