Returning to my roots

Returning to my roots

In 2023 our founder returned to The Roof of Africa school and Sonu community and shared his experience, which we're delighted to share with you now:

From the moment I set foot in Sonu, I felt the warmth and appreciation of the locals all around me. Many remembered me from my younger days, and their gratitude for the work The Roof of Africa is doing was obvious. 

It wasn't just about the school but what we are doing for the community, I was stopped many times who told me stories of their gratitude, ambition and dreams for a better future, something which they've never previously even thought about. Standing tall amidst the community, our school is a testament to the power of education. It's not just the support we receive but also everything the community provides as well, such as recently locals have offered us a plot of land to expand our school offering.

As well as providing a beacon of hope, locals are also invested in all of our projects and importantly want to play their part in ensuring their success. For example, we have visions of new projects and the community want these to be operated separately, e.g. different teams and offices for each, so each project receives the focus it deserves and can cater to those even beyond the school's vicinity. This also means that individuals not closely associated with the school could access the required resources and aid.

On arriving at the school it was fantastic to see how the school has moved on since my last visit, once completed it will be a fully-fledged primary school providing quality education taught in English - a privelage often reserved for the elite in Sub-Saharan Africa. The fact we are able to offer this level of education to the poorest is quite simply revolutionary, which makes our school a beacon of hope for those families that had no chance previously of providing this for their children.

I loved interacting with the children and meeting those that have been at our school for a few years and to see how well they look. Many children who start with us are suffering from malnutrition and thanks to our two nutritious meals we provide at school, all of our children are doing well and for those families living in abject poverty, we provide food packages whenever possible to help eliminate all malnutrition.

During my visit I was able to visit our day care centre as well, which provides a safe environment for young children and starts their education journey. Each time I travelled, I was stopped often and I can't say strongly enough how the support The Roof of Africa receives is appreciated by all of the community.

My visit came to an end too soon but I left knowing the transformative power of our initiatives. Our journey started with a simple idea, resulting in the hiring of a room and teaching 20 children. Fast forward eight years and we have our own school with nearly 250 pupils, sustainable projects and community support. it's thanks to the commitment of the community and the generosity of our supporters.