School Feeding Program in Sierra Leone

A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa (BTA) continues to succeed in funding school feeding programs in four locations throughout Sierra Leone. Today we want to share with you two brief stories of children who are benefiting from our program at the Ben Hirsch Child Care Centre in the Kenema District.

One:  A beautiful eight-year-old girl was burnt in a farm with her caregiver in their village, was brought to the Kenema police for help. The police sent her to our Ben Hirsch Child Care Canter but, because of the traumatic experience, she did not talk or eat for almost a month. She was withdrawn from everyone.

However, after much counselling, she began to eat the food provided by BTA and gradually moved from her shell and told us about the scar about which she was ashamed that she obtained from the burnt. After much treatment the scar is gradually going away and now, she is a happy girl. She approached the social worker and said my life has changed at Ben Hirsch. Thanks to BTA for touching her life in such a positive way.

Two: There is a 10-year old boy who used to beg or assist beggars in order to get some token that would make it possible for him to buy a little bit of food to eat. At some point, he was identified as an orphan and removed from the street. He was brought to Ben Hirsch where he now is getting educated and he is receiving breakfast and lunch every day because of the BTA program. We are proud to say he has, in this short period of time, learned to read and write the letters alphabet.  He comes to school regularly and has not gone back to beg in the streets again. He is also doing much better physically and recently came in first a 50-metre rally!

This is the story of an 8-year-old boy who is supported by A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa’s school feeding program in Moyamba, Sierra Leone.  He is a pupil of the primary school and is in class two, living with his father, mother, two sisters and one brother. His family has been very happy together.

He started his schooling in Children of the Nations - Mallory Jansen Memorial NurserySchool on the 7^th of September 2015.  As a pupil, attending Mallory Jansen Memorial School, he walks two miles to school and back home each day, but with the joy that one day he will be great and help to impart others.

During lunch, “the BTA” is served; pupils from the nursey, primary and the secondary schools have been benefiting a lot from the BTA food as a meals. “The BTA” is what the students call the food that is provided by our organization.

The BTA food has been so helpful and well served on time each day.  He only needs to bring his plate and spoon to school, and he will receive his share.

He has enjoyed the BTA so very much and have being a source of inspiration to him; the BTA food has helped in nourishing his body and has also given him a greater strength to walk two miles every day to school and back home.

He thanks God for the BTA food as it has been helping him concentrate in school. Most times, he comes to school with an empty stomach and without a lunch being provided for him by hisparents. The BTA food in school makes him strong, healthy and focus in class work every day.

A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa provides funding for four different school feeding programs, one of which is at an orphanage.  The Ben Hirsch Child Care Centre is a home and school for orphans in Kenema, Sierra Leone.  A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa has been funding a school feeding program at Ben Hirsch for a full year plus we were able to provide these children food and school supplies when it first opened during the post-Ebola crisis period.

The funding for the feeding program has had a very positive impact on the physical and mental growth of these children who now have assurance of two daily meals.   Their performance in school is improving remarkedly and their tests scores are going up.

During the holiday these children were still attend school which has never been done before. The children are eager to continue to learn and BTA has not just given these children food but has helped them in their social behaviors in life.

Additionally, they have developed an “Awards Program” at school where children can be recognized for things like “best behaved child’ and “best school performing child.”  These exercises have motivated the children in performing at school and bringing them great joy!   Thank you BTA donors!

The Children:

Godly Seed schools are a fairly new addition to BTA's school feeding program and they report to us that BTA provided nourishment is making a great difference in the improvement of the children.

Children are regular and punctual in school. At first some children were not regular. Mothers sometimes ask their kids to stay home when there is nothing to give them for lunch.

But since the introduction of the BTA School feeding programme, the kids are hardly ever absent from except for serious reasons.  And the community is getting involved to be sure this remains "the norm."

With BTA provided nourishment funding, we are able to adjust to provide basic health care needs. Like first and treatment, supply of routine vitamins, paracetamol and oral rehydration salt for the school. Kids that were seated home for minor ailments are no longer held by parents as they now depend on the school for their kids.

Indeed we are tracking weight gain and height.

A three year old girl who is the least in the school is weighting 32.5 and 38 inches in height.

An eleven year old girl is weighing 68.4 lbs,

A nine year old boy is weighing up 70.2 lbs.

 A lot of changes have taken place

 -          increase in school going children

-          improvement in the growth of the children

-          improved health

-          regular attendance

-          livelihood

-          active class participation

The Community

And the community is now very invovled.  They began an initiative called “Sarah Mothers Club” and it came from the parents in appreciation to how their children are benefiting from BTA through Mrs Sarah Armstrong.

Through Mrs Sarah Armstrong, kids are feed every day with different menu, nursery kids (3-5 yrs.)

Drink milk every day in the morning before lunch, vitamins are given to the kids, first aid and other health care assessment like measuring the growth to determine the child body mass index. We also observe the children and note clinical signs of marasmus and kwashiorkor. Looking at all these facilities, the parents decided to show appreciation to Mrs Sarah Armstrong for the wonderful work that she is doing for their kids by coming together and formed a fan club called Sarah’s Mothers Club. It started with mothers and now the fathers are also getting on board.

Mrs Sarah Armstrong is a mother of many nations.

We (Godly Seed Ministry) are appreciating you, this kids are appreciating you, and now the parents are also appreciating you. 

Thanks you Mrs Sarah Armstrong

Thank you BTA donors!!!!

Thank you BTA.

A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa - BTA - continues to provide nourishment to children throughout Sierra Leone through school feeding programs.

Thanks to you support, this nourishment has led to great educational success for many, many of our kids.  Two examples: 

Student One:

He attended our Children of the Nation’s School in 2007 at nine years old. We are happy to report he has now graduated as the head boy of both his Junior and Senior school 10 years later at age 19. Solomon wrote to us that BTA was the main reason he had the energy to walk back the two miles from school every day, since he attended with an empty stomach most times. Solomon says he craves BTA meals at home and is so thankful he was able to enjoy lunch every day. 

 “I hope and pray that the B.T.A. will not cease, but will always be served to all the pupils.”

 Student Two:  

She also attends our Children of the Nation School. She is a junior in the secondary school and has enjoyed BTA meals for nine years. Alimatu wrote to us about how grateful she is for our support. She tells us she only has to show her spoon and plate and one of the volunteers will server her an entire meal. Most of the time she comes to school with no money to buy her dinner on her way home from school, but because of B.T.A., she usually tells her mama she already ate enough. We are very excited to see Alimatu graduate this year!

“I really love the B.T.A.; I hope and pray it will not cease to be served; especially, for kids like us who most times come to school with an empty stomach without any lunch from our parents.”

 Thank you again and again for your continued support!

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