A former Scottish ferry is set to be filmed on its 2,200 mile journey up the Amazon to the rescue of impoverished street children. It may never have happened to the Vital Spark, but it is in the true spirit of humanity captured so well in the tales of Para Handy and his crew as their Clyde puffer took them around Scotland’s west coast.

Thanks to the dedication of the Rev. Willy McPherson, a Church of Scotland minister in Bo'ness, charity groups, and Bafta-nominated film director, Alex McCall, the mission is coming close to reality. Later this year the ship arrives in Iquitos, Peru and it will be put to work carrying 100 passengers and 35 tons of cargo on the busy river thoroughfare between Peru, Brazil, and Columbia.

If it achieves its target of a £40,000 profit a year for the next 20 years, 60 youngsters will have a proper education and hundreds more will be trained to work in a marine environment. Mr McCall, famous for his work with the late Desmond Wilcox on the Boy David story, will record the adventure with his film company, Armac Films. The result will be screened as a festive special to be shown on BBC Scotland later this year. Mr McPherson, of Bo'ness Old Kirk, confirmed he hopes to conclude a deal to buy an ex-Royal Navy vessel that looks much like a larger version of Para Handy’s Vital Spark.

It weighs about 125 tons, is 80ft long and will cost around £75,000.

The purchase price will be funded from the Scripture Union street children project in Peru and from the Bo'ness-based Vine Trust, which is contributing £10,000. The minister has worked with street children projects for 10 years in Lima, the Peruvian capital and Iquitos, which has a population of 400,000. Currently, the project cares for 152 children. He said: "We want to grow the project and have kids go to college or university. We want to send around 10, principally Iquitos kids, this year. I realised that, in Scotland, we get rid of vessels that are in fairly good condition. In Iquitos, where the Amazon is still a mile wide, there are boats which are 50, 60 or 70 years old. They may still be going but they are wrecks. They use them for everything."

Iquitos is the highest navigable point for transatlantic liners. The new boat will be used to trade on the river between Iquitos and Leticia, on the border with Columbia and Brazil. Mr McPherson said: "It will trade and hopefully make a profit of about one million US dollars over the next 20 years to bankroll the development of the existing programme, to give educational access to children and grow the programme for another 50 or 60 youngsters. It will also provide all-important vocational training in a marine environment and help the plight of these children who are exploited in all ways imaginable. It is a long way from the Vital Spark, but this will be one of the best boats on the river."

The journey from the west of Scotland across the Atlantic, via Tenerife and Madeira, will be well-documented. Scottish Screen has invested £65,000 towards production of the Ferry Up The Amazon film being made by Mr McCall. The BBC has contributed about £120,000 more. It promises to combine the Vital Spark magic with the South American wonder of Fitzcarraldo - an eccentric rich Irishman called Fitzgerald who built an opera house in the Peruvian jungle.

He used a steam ship to transport the materials he needed. Native Indians and horses dragged the steamer between rivers. German director Werner Herzog made Fitzcarraldo about Fitzgerald's grand obsession. Mr McCall added: "The intention is to make a film as a festive special. It is unbelievable, dramatic and funny but more than anything it is about a group from a privileged society doing something to help the under privileged."