Sources of Income

The money that was used for the first buildings at ISB came from the organisation Bread for the World. When the school opened in 1964, it was Bethel Mission that stood for the running costs. In 1967, the Christoffel-Blinden Mission (hereafter abbreviated CBM) took over and the organisation has been a major donor of ISB since then. CBM donates a sum of money every year that is used for treatment of illnesses e.g. eye operations at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. Some of the money covers travelling expenses for the pupils when they go home for their annual leave. Currently, there are two buildings that are under construction at ISB. These houses are intended for pupils with low vision and CBM is sponsoring one of them. Moreover, 8 among the 15 non-teaching staff members are paid from the CBM grant.

In recent years, the District Council in Lushoto has become a regular donor. The money from the District Council is used for food, teachers’ salaries, etc. The Council also sponsors the second building that is being constructed for low vision students. ISB also receives spontaneous donations from visitors e.g. NED church members, youth groups, women groups, government officials, tourists, visitors from abroad, etc.

The ISB itself runs projects that are aimed at subsidising expenses and generating income, e.g. poultry, diary farming, vegetable garden and weaving sisal mats. During 1990s, a guesthouse was built with money donated by the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) and this helps to generate income as well.