The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired is a registered UK charity which supports a very special school, established in Makeni, Sierra Leone in 1979, destroyed in the decade long civil war of the 90’s, and lovingly re-established in 2003. St Joseph’s provides care and special education for 215 students aged 3 to 18, who otherwise might never be able to go to school or study due to social marginalization or rejection by their family. The school provides rigorous academic education and vocational skills training that allow students to become active members of the working world and it provides love, care and support for those students. Finances are difficult. Most students are from very poor backgrounds and their parents can contribute little towards the fees. However, poverty is never a barrier to an education at St Joseph’s.
The government pays the teachers’ salaries but everything else is supported by donations. Donations help with day to day operational costs but also enable the school to carry out expert assessment of hearing loss, the provision of hearing aids and the training of staff. As an example, most children at St Joseph’s would benefit from having a hearing aid in each ear; however, at this point, the school is able to offer only one per child.
All money raised by the Friends goes towards the support of the students.
