FAQs
If I make a donation, can I decide what my money is used for?
We are a small team at the Ramatu Foundation, which gives us flexibility. If you would like to donate for a specific purpose, please get in touch with us to discuss this - there is an extremely high chance we can do this. The majority of our costs go into purchasing books, stationary, food and sanitary products for the girls we support, but we also accept donations for local outreach (for example, to pay for a community day engaging local people on how they can support women in their community).
See 'What can different donations in GBP pay for?' on this page for an insight of what your donation can be used for.
How is Ramatu Foundation different from other women's empowerment charities?
As a small and locally situated charity, our impact is direct and immediate. Our volunteer staff receive no pay (both the Sierra Leone and UK based team) and contribute entirely out of dedication to the charity, so every penny goes directly to helping local girls. The majority of the girls we support are orphans, so having books, stationary, food and sanitary products provided for them is often the only way they can complete a full education. Therefore, whilst other charities take a high percentage cut of any money donated, with donations to the Ramatu Foundation you can be sure your money goes directly to its intended cause.
How many people do you impact with your charitable work?
Currently, we have 40 girls who are dependent on support from the Ramatu Foundation to pursue their education, the majority of which are orphans. Beyond this, our reach is wide - we engage 4 schools in the Bombali District regularly in assemblies and classes. Our Director regularly gives interviews on national TV and radio, as well as attending protests, marches and conferences. Our UK team has arranged a partner school for the Foundation in Cambridge and organises outreach talks at UK universities including the University of Cambridge and Durham.
What can different donations in GBP pay for?
UK pounds go a long way in Sierra Leone, so here's how many Leones (Sierra Leone's national currency) you can get for different donation amounts, and how far it can go:
£5 = 63,000L = a meal for 5 girls
£10 = 127,000L = period products for 12 girls for one month
£20 = 255,000L = rice provisions for all foundation girls for one month
£30 = 420,000L = writing books for 20 girls
£50 = 638,000L = agricultural tools for girls and the Foundation to help us self-support through crop cultivation
£100 = 1,276,00L = fund the foundation's girls in entirety (all food, sanitary products and stationary) for one full month
*information based on transaction rates on Google and Western Union
Please contact if you are donating from a different currency for conversion rates.