The visit of the Nashville is part of the “Africa Partnership Station”, an international security idea promoted by America but including training teams from Europe.

This involved a gruelling eight-month training regime in Russia's Star City, so that Mr Shuttleworth could accompany cosmonauts on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.

We drove the five girls to a police station to fill out paperwork so that they could move into shelters and receive schooling or vocational training.