New Hope School
IAT New Hope Village & School, Lunghi, Sierra Leone
Early in 2010 we began a school/feeding support program in Lunghi near Freetown, Sierra Leone. New Hope School was founded out of a poorly run initiative that had failed. We are now working with Pastor Michael and Alice Fofanah and the team of eight wonderful teachers and carers. Michael is our Director and Alice is Headmistress. We also have a board of advisers chaired by Rev Jonathan Titus Williams who is CEO of the Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone. In addition to this we have the help and support of Brother Bill Roberts who is the British “Daddy” of so many pastors and missionaries in Sierra Leone. What a wonderful team we have!
So we began with seventeen children now we have over two hundred beautiful, but desperately poor children attending our school. At the moment the school is housed in a temporary building but construction of a purpose built school is now underway.
In December 2010 we needed a site for the vision to begin: then, as a result of the practical love shown to their children a group of dear families gave us a precious plot of land for the new school and church. Following this they agreed to sell us the adjacent land at a very reduced price, so now we have space for the greater vision that God has given us.
So, what is the vision for our village?
- To build a permanent school, with nine classrooms, canteen/ kitchen, staff room, toilets and store rooms.
- To securely fence the perimeter.
- To provide vocational training on site for villagers such as block making and use the profits from this to further develop the site.
- To fund further training for our teaching staff.
- To build a church. (We will use the dining area until then).
- Provide electricity to the larger community.
- To provide accommodation for orphans and volunteers in areas such as health and education workers.
- Equip a Christian Library.
- Establish Bible & Music Schools.
What we have achieved up to now:
- Purchased and transferred the additional land to IAT.
- Dug/built a well to provide the much needed water for the village.
- Foundations completed and walls are up to 1st floor level for school.
- Purchased a 40 foot container to provide storage on the site and transported it full of school equipment and other essential building equipment including the Lister generator kindly donated by Bolton Council.
- Begun Sunday and weekly prayer meetings on the site.
- Supported local hospitals with much needed supplies from International Health Partners.
- With the help of a grant making trust International Aid Trust are paying the wages of the teachers, cooks, security, care workers and the daily feeding program. This comes to £10,000 or $16,000 per annum.
We would like to extend an invitation to our friends and partners to participate in this project and experience this wonderful God given ministry.
