School’s full of beans over project that helps youngsters in Uganda
A SCHOOL’S social enterprise coffee-selling project, that helps improve access to education in Africa, has been embraced by two more schools.
Three years ago, Hull Collegiate School (HCS) began importing coffee beans from Uganda and sold them to companies around the city.
All the profits from Safi Coffee are used to fund schools in the Kanungu region, where the beans are grown, and the project is now about to be launched in Highgate School in London and Felsted School in Essex.
Both schools already have strong links with the country and regularly organise pupil trips through charity Teach Uganda.
The hope is that by expanding the Safi Coffee initiative in the south of the country, it will reach new, untapped markets in the south.
Chris Wainman, senior deputy
The senior deputy at HCS. Other schools are adopting HCS’s project.
head of HCS, said: “What began as a small, pupil-led initiative selling coffee beans to coffee shops in Hull is quickly transforming into a national enterprise.
“We have learnt a lot in the three years we have been running Safi Coffee and we look forward to sharing our experiences with both schools. By joining forces with two more schools, we can grow the project significantly and provide even more children in Uganda with the education and opportunities they deserve.”
HCS pupils recently visited Felsted and worked with pupils as they came up with new ideas to make the product as environmentally-friendly and sustainable as possible and at Highgate School, students have already sold more than £1,000 of coffee.
Tom Brown, a director of Safi Coffee CIC, said: “Raising awareness of the project is our number one aim - ultimately, the more people that are drinking Safi Coffee, the more children we can put through school in Uganda.
“Thanks to the hard work of all the pupils involved we have increased the number of children we sponsor up to 50. This is testament to just how far the project has come in such a short space of time.”