Our Children's Future is in a box

John, 12, and Fatmata, 8, are siblings living in Kenema District. Like some children in their community, they were at risk of dropping out of school at some point and being cocoa farmers.

Although education is declared free for primary and high schools in Sierra Leone, many argue that the most expensive aspect of educating a child is providing school materials like books, bags, uniforms, and lunch, which is not included in the government’s Free Quality Education (FQE) package. Educating children in rural communities depends on three things: family income, the willingness by parents to send their children to school, and access to educational facilities.

?John and Fatmata’s parents are Nancy and Ibrahim. They are cocoa farmers who unfortunately did not have the opportunity to go to school. They grew up working on farms and have been cocoa farmers for the longest time.

Cocoa is one of the most economically viable crops in the world today. The chocolate we find in ice cream, cookies, and chocolate drinks around the world is made of cocoa. Many people do not know the story behind getting cocoa from Africa. They come at a great cost and better still, they are responsible for a lot of children dropping out of school.

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The couple of over 15 years struggled with providing the basic amenities and sending their children to school. For years, money lenders were the only financial institutions known to them. They charged high-interest rates that farmers could not pay after selling their produce.

Ibrahim and Nancy have been down that road. “This was really painful, but we had no choice. It’s like we were farming for the money lenders’ benefit,” says Nancy. “There was a time when we found it very hard to feed, and they stopped going to school because we couldn’t afford to buy what they needed.”

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A lot of children in this community drop out of school and start working in cocoa plantations. “We did not want that for our children. Even though we are not literate, we had a dream for our children to complete school and be better placed in society,” says Ibrahim. “The fact that we are farmers doesn’t mean that our children should also take after us.’’

?How ChildFund is improving livelihoods and eliminating child labor through savings groups

In 2021, ChildFund began implementing the Community Approach to Combating Child Labor Project funded by TRADIN organic. This project’s objectives were: to improve the livelihoods and economic capabilities of 6,000 cocoa and coffee farming families for the elimination of child labor among children aged 6 to 17 years; and to strengthen formal and informal community-based child protection systems–reporting, response and referral mechanisms on child labor.

‘’When ChildFund, TRADIN and Ndomakeh Federation talked to us about child labor and its effect on our children, we were happy. But we couldn’t have been happier when they, for the very first time, talked to us about savings groups,’’ says Nancy. “This group now became our new hope. My husband and I became interested. They told us that savings groups were an approach that let us (members) save our monies together, lend our savings to each other with very reasonable interest payable at our own pace, and share the profits.”

Through this project, 57 savings groups, including Nancy’s in Kono, Kailahun and Kenema had a total share value of € 79,164, loans disbursed worth €44,087, and € 5,367 social funds saved as of June 2023.

Nancy and Ibrahim began saving their money, the little they were getting from the sales of their produce in the savings box, which now became a shining light.

John just transitioned to Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) and Fatmata is in class 3. They both have a picture of an upbeat future.

“I would like to be a President of Sierra Leone one day,’’ says John. As for Fatmata, she would like to be a medical doctor.

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John’s transition to JSS1 was very smooth. “We didn’t scratch our heads for anything. When it was time, I went to the group and took a loan of NLE500 ($20). Children crave all the good things on the first day of school, especially when in a new class. “All my school materials such as books, pens, shoes, and uniforms were brand new. Since our parents joined that group, things have not been the same. We have enough for school and home.” John says.

“We have never gone to school hungry since that box came to our village. The last time our father took money from the box, he bought a bag of rice,” says Fatmata.

Rice is the staple food in Sierra Leone, but many families cannot afford to buy a full bag of rice at NLE 700 (USD 35).

Before the savings group, I could never afford a full bag of rice. We survived by buying a few cups to cook for the day. I took a loan of NLE 1,000 (USD 50). I bought the rice and used the remainder to pay some workers to dry the cocoa before packaging it for sale to TRADIN Organic,’ says Ibrahim. Tradin Organic not only funds the project but also buys produce from the farmers at a competitive price. This means more money in farmers’ pockets and purses. It also means more shares in the savings box.

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''Going to the bank to get a loan is almost impossible. Even where you are finally eligible for the loan, you have to go through a lot of processes and fill out papers,” says Nancy. For people like us, who did not go to school, she furthers,‘ it’s a challenge. With the savings box, there is no protocol. We just go to the box holder and request the loan as per our entitlement and it’s done in less than 10 minutes.

Currently, their savings group has saved up NLE 14,900 ($ 700). There is hope in that box; our children’s future is in the savings as does ours as parents. The savings box has actually made things easy for us.

John and Fatmata do their house chores and study. They don’t have to go to the farm to work and carry heavy loads of cocoa on their heads. They have their future in a savings box which resonates with the idea of saving your money for the future in the Bank. Even Fatmata believes that idea is great. The 8-year-old has got some stories to tell.

‘’We have a bright future in our parent’s group. We have seen them solve difficult problems in our home.’’

Her parent’s savings group has saved up NLE 14,900 (USD 700). They can buy as much shares as they can, and shares sometimes determine the amount of loan they can take.

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