A Seat At the Table for All: Desks for the São Francisco de Assis Community School

A Century of Educational Partnership

During the summer of 2025, the São Francisco de Assis Community School, located in Mocumbi, Mozambique was facing a shortage of classroom seating. Students were sitting on the floor during lessons which hindered the teaching and learning process, so Franciscan Missions wanted to help.

The school is part of the São Francisco de Assis Mission, located in the southern Inhambane province of Mozambique. Since the mission’s founding in 1909, the Franciscan friars have worked in the community by educating young people, with a particular focus on the advancement of young women in society.

Financial Difficulties

São Francisco de Assis school is part of a rural community that faces challenging socioeconomic conditions, making it difficult to acquire learning materials and basic infrastructure.

Many families in the region depend on subsistence farming and have low incomes, which limits their ability to contribute financially to the school. Teaching conditions are compromised by the lack of adequate furniture, resulting in difficulties with students’ concentration and learning. Despite these challenges, the school is a vital space for socialization and the development of values ​​in the community.

Transforming the Classroom

To address the issue, Franciscan friars acquired 50 school desks before the beginning of the 2025 school year. The project benefited approximately 1,200 students ranging from ages 10 to 30, who were sharing desks and struggling without adequate learning spaces.

The new desks significantly improved teaching conditions and created a more comfortable space that motivated the students. This was particularly important for retention rates among female students.

Better access to seating made the classroom more inclusive, ensuring adequate space to learn and reinforcing the idea that education is a fundamental pillar for social development.