Problems and possibilities - finding new ways to generate income

Pupils visit the schools farm to collect eggs

One of the biggest challenges facing the school is finding a steady stream of income to fund the day to day running costs.

Right now, there are no easy solutions - but investing in income generating projects, like the school farm, could change things.

For big NGOs, the funding focus is often on wide reaching interventions, like country wide awareness raising. Meanwhile, the government funds basic teacher salaries, but there’s little or no support for boarding costs, food, or building maintenance.

Whilst small charities like the Friend’s of St Josephs simply don’t have the resources to pay the £40,000 a year it costs to keep the school running, what we can do is fund initiatives which help the school to raise its own income.

One example of these projects is the school farm.

From investing in farming equipment, funding farm buildings, and purchasing additional plots of land so the school can grow rice, palm oil and vegetables, as well as raise chickens and farm fish, Friend’s of St Joseph’s have been able to help the school invest in running a farm.

This not only provides food for the pupils and cuts the cost of meals, but means there’s a surplus of crops to sell - and a consistent income to help keep the school running.

There are other benefits too - many pupils undertake vocational training on the farm, gaining practical skills and knowledge about farming. Sierra Leone’s main source of employment is agriculture, with over 60% of the population engaged in farming.

It’s not always straightforward - farming comes with risks, especially with increasingly erratic weather patterns due to climate change, and the cost and availability of hiring farm workers. It’s also a challenge logistically - the farm is located at the edge of Makeni city with minimal road access, and transport is often hard to source.

It’s unlikely that the farm will be able to cover the day to day costs of the school over the next ten years. However, projects like this are full of possibilities - and enable the school leadership to diversify their funding away from relying on external sources.

And with the right investment, careful planning and the generosity of amazing supporters, projects like this have the potential to help secure the schools existence long into the future.