The last weeks, students and our logistics team were busy drying, packing and weighing groundnuts. The harvest for 2025 is done, and our students were again very successful. 165 big sacks of groundnuts were harvested according to Martha Akoi, the agriculture teacher.

“Agriculture is part of our school curriculum. During the long years of war, violence, and displacement, people lost their knowledge about agriculture, and it is important to build up this knowledge again in theory and practice,” explains Martha. She added, “Agriculture is the backbone of the country and it is true, if you go for two days with an empty stomach, it’s difficult to keep a smiling face. It’s hard to smile when you don’t have something in your stomach. In order for us to be a happy nation and a happy community, at least we have to put more effort into agriculture.”

That’s why every primary class and every secondary student is entrusted with a piece of land that they have to cultivate. The students learn how to clear the land, and to plant, harvest, and shell groundnuts. Other vegetables were also grown on the school farm, such as beans, kudura, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and watermelons. These make up an important part of our school meals.

For instance, peanut butter is an important ingredient in one of our local dishes, kombo, a green vegetable sauce eaten with asida, a porridge made from maize. The students eat it three times a week and they love it.

These school meals are very important, especially in the primary school. The economic situation is still challenging in South Sudan, and many people rely on food aid. It is not uncommon for our pupils to come to school without having breakfast at home.

Elizabeth Amok Manyin has been working in the Loreto compound for many years – seven years in the school farm, and the last six years in the kitchen. “I cook the beans for the pupils and the breakfast porridge for the kindergarten children”, she proudly tells us and adds, “It’s good that pupils have lunch because if they are studying hungry, they won’t study hard. But if they have lunch, they can do better as they come to school happy, knowing they will study and also eat.”

While we are talking, the children of the lower primary school come from all directions, each of them carrying their plate and start to queue for their lunch. They stand close together and have a lot of fun. Today’s lessons are over. Now it’s time for lunch. One after the other, they fill their plates and then sit happily eating and chatting in the large dining room. After the meal, there is a big crowd at the taps, where each child washes their plate, face and hands.

When this cheerful crowd sets off for home, full and satisfied, Elizabeth and her colleagues wash the large pots in the kitchen. Another school day has come to a successful end, and the children have taken another step towards a better future.

Running Loreto Primary School would simply not be possible without your financial support. We are very grateful to all those who believe in our mission and support our work. If you would like to help us, give children a better future, please visit our online donation page.