Pupils and inmates of the School For The Blind in Kenema have called on the Government of Sierra Leone and philanthropists to come to their aid as they face lots of challenges, with insufficient food supply being the major.

This, according to the Director of the School, Hanafi Sowa, is likely to see the closure of the School shortly if the present trend continues. He said lately, most of the pupils are contemplating on leaving the School to go out on the streets to beg for their daily sustenance.

Hanafi said in addition to the visually challenged inmates, the School is also hosting other persons with disabilities, all living and sharing the little the administration offers.

He emphasised that one of their main challenges for now is food supply for the inmates who are now well over two hundred from different districts and chiefdoms across the country.

Director Hanafi went on that even though the School receives government’s subvention yearly, it is still finding things difficult to cope because of the influx of inmates, especially after the pronouncement of the Free Quality Education by His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio.

He described the School as a special needs school and that the radical inclusion policy seeks to cater for children with different abilities as well, while stating that the implementation of the radical inclusion policy the government must see to it that the required assistance is given to institutions carrying the burden of those radically included into the educational system.

Hanafi said his School offers free tuition and tutorial to these special needs, while calling on donors and the government to consider them in the school feeding program as they bear great burden with the feeding of the school pupils.

He said the children are doing extremely well in their academic work but that the challenge of insufficient feeding has become a problem.

The director is also calling on other stakeholders including Members of Parliament, philanthropists, businesspeople, and the entire Kenema community to assist them with food supply for the children. He said before this time, they were getting three square meals a day through some gestures but that this situation has changed with the pupils now getting less to feed on daily.

Hanafi said several request letters have been written and sent to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education, the School Feeding Program and WFP for assistance yet nothing is forthcoming.