At Mali Rising Foundation, we’re thrilled to kick off another year of transformative French language classes! This month, our dedicated team is conducting pre-assessments across ten villages to prepare for the 2024-25 school year classes. Over the past two years, thanks to the generous support of our donors, the French Language Improvement Project has helped more than 200 7th graders — and this year we will expand to serve 400 students!
FLIP Results Roll In
The second year of our effort to help students improve their language skills — the French Language Improvement Project — was a big success! FLIP focuses most heavily on giving students the vocabulary they need in the classroom and improving reading comprehension so that students can study textbooks more easily. In these areas, students improved by 24% (compared to -2% for the control) and 18% (compared to 7% for the control). Read more about the results and how FLIP works….
French for Dowelé
One of the biggest obstacles students in Mali face is language. Although students in our villages grow up hearing and speaking their local language (Bambara), school is taught in French. In primary school students are « eased » into French instruction, but by 7th grade all classes are taught in French. So, if you haven’t learned French by then you are often just out of luck! That’s where Mali Rising’s FLIP campaign comes in.
Sata Reviews the FLIP Pilot
Earlier this month, I shared the story of one of our students who participated in the FLIP pilot. Today I would like to share the story of a second participant — Sata T. Here is what he had to say about the FLIP pilot in his own words: “My name is Sata and I am in 7th grade. I am 14 years old. I am one of the 40 students who participated in FLIP special classes at Jade & Gabe Mellor Middle School….
One Student's Take on a New Project
One of the biggest challenges facing students in Mali is the fact that school is not taught in their mother tongue language. Instead, schools use French for instruction and often leave students behind if they aren’t able to pick up French quickly in primary school. This year, we piloted the French Language Intervention Project (FLIP), designed to help 7th graders brush up their French skills as they enter middle school. I want to share the story of one of our students who participated in the FLIP pilot: Dramane D.
