Like many 13-year-olds, Bluebelle Carroll keeps a pen pal – but that is where the similarities end.

As the founder of a letter-writing scheme called Words Not Wars, Bluebelle oversees a team of correspondents who write to children living in a Kenyan refugee camp.

The Camden School for Girls pupil, of Kentish Town, was praised for raising money to fund the project through business initiatives as she was presented with the young entrepreneur gong at the Camden Youth Awards on Wednesday.

From starting out alone, she now heads up a team of about 30 writers who pen letters to pupils at a school in the refugee camp.

They recently received their first replies.

Using her natural business acumen, Bluebelle has managed to successfully negotiate with local shops to secure writing materials for the scheme, as well as raising money online to fund the project.

But she is eager to raise even more by arranging a glittering charity concert at the Barfly bar in Chalk Farm Road, Chalk Farm, on March 22.

A spokesman for Camden Youth Awards said in a statement: “This project shows incredible initiative from Bluebelle and is a fantastic experience for those young people involved.”