Blog
At Mali Rising Foundation, we know that removing barriers to education changes lives. In Sankama, one of our partner villages, the impact of our Girls’ Project is clear. By covering school fees for girls, we’ve enabled parents to send their daughters to school — a life-changing opportunity for families who would otherwise struggle to afford education. Nantenin’s story makes that crystal clear.
As the rainy season sweeps across Mali, the Ministry of National Education has announced that the school year will begin on October 1. However, with continuous torrential rains and the destruction of schools in some areas, there is growing concern about whether classes will actually resume on this date.
Can a party change lives? Yes! Since the beginning of the Girls’ Project, we have arranged to celebrate girls’ education at the end of each school year. The goal is to bring the entire village together – girls, boys, parents, elders, etc. – to acknowledge the power of girls’ education and to celebrate the success of their girls. Check out how one feast changed Awa’s life forever by getting her back to school…
I love to read, and I think that love and skill is what carried me through my education and into a career. Reading opens doors (and worlds!) like almost no other skill can. That’s why we launched Great Girls Read, and why I’m so happy to report on its results in the 23/24 school year. Spoiler alert: the results were wonderful!
In Mali, only 1 in three girls will be able to finish middle school. Many pressures drive girls away from school – from child marriage to economic needs to out-dated beliefs about a woman’s rôle. Our Girls’ Project works to address the range of pressures on girls but my small part is to work with boys throughout the school year to help them understand how they can help change things – how they can speak up for their sisters and female classmates.
Everyone can agree: sometimes it is your friends who get you through the touch stuff….and middle school is REALLY tough stuff. Two girls in the Girls’ Project demonstrate this truth perfectly! Fatoumata and Tenin have been inseparable friends since primary school. Today, both girls are 13 years old and attend the 8th grade in Little Heroes Academy I school in Mana.
Young people in Mali face many challenges, particularly if they are female. Education helps girls (and boys!) by providing them options for their future, but sometimes the traditional route to unemployment is barred. That’s why the Girls’ Project encourages young women to think creatively about their career options.
Educating a child involves more than the dedication of that child – it takes everyone’s help. This is way the Girls’ Project works hard to engage the parents – and especially the mothers of our girls – in the drive to educate girls. This year, I’ve had several meetings with female leaders in our partner villages to solicit their help in organizing mothers’ support for girls’ education in the villages. This month, we brought the mothers and their daughters together to discuss girls’ education.
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