Upland Farms
Rory's Well commitment:
To assist Women Farmers to grow nutritious food in a sustainable way
using environmental sustainable methods.
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Rory's Well Village Regeneration Program
Aims to provide villages in rural Sierra Leone the opportunity for a self sustaining future.
Working through local community led programs we aim to facilitate major improvements in:
Health
Nutrition
Food Security
Well Being
Livelihood
We aim to work in a way that is culturally, environmentally and economically sustainable, and to stimulate development that will continue without permanent outside intervention.
Our aim is to provide the basic resorces for everyone to:
Drink Clean Water
Eat Nutritious Food
Have the opportunity for a livelihood
Have the Chance of Self Determination
365 days of the year - Every year!
To do this we have established a program of community led and controlled activities and projects.
We work co-operatively within the established community structures and agencies.
Our aim is that the program will be self managing and self sustaining.
We're very pleased with the success of our program to date - it's making a real difference to the people living in these communities - scroll down to find out more...
Water Wells
Rory's Well commitment:
To provide Clean Drinking Water for all our villages
Water Wells
We have completed 20 wells in 17 villages. Regular maintenance keeps all wells functioning.
Click button to read more...
We have completed 20 wells in 17 villages. Regular maintenance keeps all wells functioning.
Click button to read more...
Lowland Swamp Farms
Rory' Well commitment:
To develop natural swamps into productive sustainable comunity farms
using environmental sustainable methods.
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Men's Farming Project
(Lowland - Swamp Farming)
After the Civil war, many rural communities re established themselves but did not return to...
Click button to read more...
(Lowland - Swamp Farming)
After the Civil war, many rural communities re established themselves but did not return to...
Click button to read more...
Upland Farms
Rory's Well commitment:
To assist Women Farmers to grow nutritious food in a sustainable way
using environmental sustainable methods.
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Water Wells
We have completed 20 wells in 17 villages. Regular maintenance keeps all wells functioning. Click button to read more... Garden Project has been added to Women's farming project
Everywhere we go, we try to find out what the barriers are to growing traditional edible fruit... 
Livelihood Training
Now includes Bee Farming We feel the key to anything we do is to make sure that we are helping people help themselves in a sustainable... 
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Men's Farming Project
(Lowland - Swamp Farming) After the Civil war, many rural communities re established themselves but did not return to... Click button to read more... Grain Store Project
Once the village has worked hard to plant and harvest the rice it is imperative to store it securely out of the rain... Scroll down to read more... 
Arboretum Project
When Senesi was in the UK in the summer he visited Westonbirt and was really inspired. His background... Scroll down to read more... 
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Women's farming Project
(Upland Farming) We are supporting women's farming groups as part of our nutrition initiative. Scroll down to read more... Groundnut Project has been added to the Women's farming project Protein is a key component missing in the diet we have introduced a groundnut project to fill the gap... 
Brass Band Project
The Kate McGrath school for girls in Bo provides senior school education for girls, many of whom are orphans... Scroll down to read more... 
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Guesthouse
Along with Tony’s brother Nigel and family we are building a guesthouse in the original Rory’s Well... Scroll down to read more... 
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Water Wells
We have completed 20 wells in 17 villages. Regular maintenance keeps all wells functioning. Click button to read more... |
Mano Bridge rebuild
Community Womens Group ask for help to give them safe access to the health clinic and schools. Completed June 2017 
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Bee Farming
livelihoods for those willing to work with bees. Click button to read more... |
Sustainable Forestry and Farm clearance
Training communities to care for the environment in a sustainable way |
Goat & Chicken Project
Keeping with the lack of protein issue, we initially thought goats would be part of our nutrition initiative Scroll down to read more... |
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Goat & Chicken Project
We initially thought goats would be part of our nutrition initiative but quickly learned they are only eaten at weddings and funerals and there is no tradition of goats cheese. They are however, a great livelihood project which we have set up for the women, who rarely own goats. They will breed them and pass on the first kid to other women and villages (via our local partners). The goats will be corralled to collect fertilizer for the gardens and provide much needed income when sold to buy other food for the family. In villages where there are already goats it costs around £40 to get a female goat and build an enclosure, with an additional cost of £40 for a male goat in villages without goats to ensure breeding. Chickens are a cheaper way to provide livelihood and protein for families and we are now focusing on this at a cost of around £5 per chicken.
Garden Project
Everywhere we go, we try to find out what the barriers are to growing traditional edible fruit and vegetables. Several gardens are now starting to spring up in villages and schools since Senesi (our MP on the ground) returned home, inspired by his stay in Matara and the UK. The main barrier seems to be tools, seedlings to plant and knowledge - there is plenty of labour and natural fertiliser!! This is an emerging project but one where a small contribution for the right seeds makes a huge difference.
Grain Store Project
Once the village has worked hard to plant and harvest the rice it is imperative to store it securely out of the rain and away from rats and other hazards. Rice stores are underway in each of the villages where rice swamps have been developed. A proportion of the harvest will be held back and used by the village in a sustainable way for future planting. Seeds will be used by individual families and for community planting. The community are building these stores from traditional materials supported with materials not locally available such as concrete, locks and metal roofs. To support a village with tools, knowledge, 2 bags of seeds, drying tarpaulin to start a sustainable rice project costs in the region of £500 and £500 for a grain store.
Groundnut Project
Protein is a key component missing in the diet and we have introduced a groundnut project to fill this gap. 10 bushels of groundnuts @ £10 each have been provided to 3 villages for planting by the community during the wet season (May-Oct). We have devised a scheme where we will buy back half at a premium rate to distribute to other villages to ensure the remainder are used for replanting and food. Groundnut stew is a traditional dish in Sierra Leone. We will monitor, adapt and expand the program according to the findings from the pilot villages.
Guesthouse
Along with Tony’s brother Nigel and family, we are building a guesthouse in the original Rory’s Well village of Taninahun. With difficult roads, patchy transport and a many hour journey to the villages from the Pujehun capital Bo (with basic western comforts water, electric, some wi-fi, shops) it became obvious a rural base was required. The community have cleared the land and built the shell of a 3 bedroomed guest house which we hope to complete in the coming months. It will be run by the community and available for guests, training, charity visits etc with all proceeds being reinvested in the guesthouse and community. We are investigating solar power which will provide a handy mobile phone livelihood opportunity for the village.
Livelihood Training
We feel the key to anything we do is to make sure that we are helping people help themselves in a sustainable way and let the people then determine their own path. Wherever we see an opportunity to support we try to send the resources for people to do it themselves (tools and training). We have made links with a UK charity with 33 years in this arena - Tools for Self Reliance. They work with an independent training centre in Bo to provide the kit from the UK and training in the country for welding, dressmaking, hairdressing, carpentry, shoe repair to name but a few. We are planning to set up kits and training to support well pump and possibly truck maintenance and courses for any other skills we can’t find.
Arboretum Project
When Senesi was in the UK in the summer he visited Westonbirt and was really inspired. His background before becoming an MP was in tree management in Liberia. He is still passionate about trees and has negotiated some land that we hope can be planted to eventually become the first Arboretum in Seirra Leone. We are approaching specific environmental charities to partner on this project and explore the beneficial properties of many native species such as neem trees renowned for their use in natural medicine for thousands of years. The arboretum gives a great link to Matara where trees are sacred and we have a tree for Rory. Senesi and Geoffrey planted a Matara/Sierra Leone friendship tree donated by our Trustee friend Hal from Frenchay Forestry in the summer as a start of a wonderful connection.
Brass Band Project
The Kate McGrath school for girls in Bo provides senior school education for girls, many of whom are orphans or from poor families (thank you to our friends and family that have sponsored some of these girls). In his summer visit Senesi explained that a brass band is a great source of pride and income, when hired out for functions. Toby Pentreath (Tony’s God son) who is a talented trumpet player, offered his services to Senesi to run with the initiative and this has now become a fantastic project and really inspired everyone to look out old instruments, especially Sean Mills - pictured on the recent trip with the band and Senesi. To date we have supplied seven instruments to the school, along with sheet music and music books and are funding a tutor who is working with the girls on a weekly basis to get the band up and running. From what we hear, the girls are very inspired by playing the instruments and there is a large queue forming to use them! We have four more instruments waiting to be shipped out early next year - if you have an unused trumpet or horn gathering dust in your attic please consider donating it to this very worthy cause.
Update April 2016: On their last visit, Tony & Karen delivered five more instruments to the school so they now have 12 in total - many thanks to all of you who have so kindly donated... see if you can spot your instrument in the images below! The girls are coming along well and are hoping to be able to perform by this time next year. We are looking to fund some percussion drums and cymbals for them next!
Update April 2016: On their last visit, Tony & Karen delivered five more instruments to the school so they now have 12 in total - many thanks to all of you who have so kindly donated... see if you can spot your instrument in the images below! The girls are coming along well and are hoping to be able to perform by this time next year. We are looking to fund some percussion drums and cymbals for them next!
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