There is really nothing as joyful as celebrating something like a new school with the partners — now friends — who worked together to achieve the goal. The sense of camaraderie, achievement, and hope for the future simply cannot be beat. So we were very glad to celebrate the opening of Kafara’s new Mali Rising school — The Mindful Bunch Middle School — with the leaders, parents, and children of the village…
The Mindful Bunch School in Kafara Nears Completion
by Merritt Frey, Executive Director
Thanks to a generous group of friends who wanted to celebrate their friend Ilias’s move to a new country, a new school is nearly finished in Kafara, Mali.
The group has decided to name the school The Mindful Bunch Middle School. Where did that quirky name come from? It references a Kiva loan group (if you don’t know about Kiva, check them out!) the friends participate in together, honoring the school as a continuation of their joint legacy of giving.
On October 27, Ilias will join us for the ceremonial opening of The Mindful Bunch Middle School in Kafara. Watch this blog for fun stories from the party, or follow us on social media for even more images and video from the fun.
What's In a Name? School-to-School Connections!
This summer, we finalized fundraising for Mali Rising school #23 in the little village of Sankama. This was truly a group effort, with donations from high school students, walkers, the Trujillo family, our Builders Society, support from the Pete and Arline Harman Trust, and many others. Now a school is nearly complete in Sankama, and we’re happy to announce the winner of naming rights for the school!
A School is Rising...
School Donors Make Mothers Happy
Here at Mali Rising we often feature the students who benefit from our supporters’ generosity. Of course, many other benefit from a new school and the education it brings. So in this post we share some thoughts from a mother in the village where we are currently building our 23rd school, Kafara. Here are excerpts of what Sali had to say about the arrival of a new school for her children…
Meet Issa, One of Mali Rising's Newest Students
Last week we announced some great news -- a surprise gift to help us build our 23rd school! It will be located in the village of Kafara, where the children and parents alike are celebrating. Today I wanted to share just one story of a student who will benefit from the new school, Issa. Issa may look more serious than your typical 9th grader but...well, frankly he probably is a bit more serious than your typical 9th grader.
BIG News! Generous Donors Come Together to Build School #23!
A New School for the Children of Sankama!
After help from high school students, walkers, individual donors, our Builders Society, and others, we are pleased to announce we are ready to begin construction on a new school for the children of Sankama in southern Mali!
Diving Beneath the Data
I love working with the data because it shows us where we’re at, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. It’s exciting to track our progress over multiple years, to dig into whether we’re improving or not and why. But as much as data is able to tell us, there is a lot that it can’t tell us, and a lot that is misleading with careful review.
How Far Would You Go? How About 391 Miles?
Mali Rising's first-ever virtual walking challenge -- Miles for Mali -- is in the books! This May, thirty-three volunteers walked more than 2,400 miles to raise $2,100 to build a new school for the kids of Sankama, Mali. We had a great time with our volunteer walkers, and everyone did a great job. However, one walker really stood out -- Phoebe Mathew from Holland, Pennsylvania. Why did she stand out you ask?
