This year, I am helping to pilot a new Mali Rising project – Alumni Networks. The goal of these networks is to foster connections between our schools’ graduates and the students attending their schools now. I recently met with Alumni Network members at our school in Sequessona – Jade & Gabe Mellor Middle School and asked them to share their thoughts about the Alumni Network experience so far.
Helping Students Who Struggle with French
We are in the second year of trying out a new tactic to help our students – assessing their French language skills so their teachers can better help them learn. The assessments are critical because poor French skills make it nearly impossible for students to learn their other subjects and they get discouraged and drop out. This year, we are doing the assessments in four partner villages, and we spoke with one participating student -- Awa Doumbia, a 7th grade student at Judge Memorial Middle School after her assessment.
Our Supporters Make a HUGE Difference
You did it! Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Days of Giving Campaign. Because of you, we exceeded our $20,000 Gift of Education Giving Challenge goal and met the $20,000 match, raising a total of $48,955 for our students. Thank you! Your generosity means…
Breaking Down Barriers To Girls' Enrollment
by Hindaty Traore, Girls Project Manager
Alimatou and Sira in front of their new middle school classroom at Sue Taylor Middle School.
One of the times I feel most proud of my work in the Girls’ Project is when I can help girls who don't want to go back to school or parents who don't want to enroll their daughters in school. Talking through issues with the girls and the parents and seeing them shift to being passionate about girls’ education is just so rewarding!
As the school year began last month in Mali, one of my first priorities was to ensure that many girls could be enrolled in the Girls’ Project partner schools. To this end, we made radio announcements and meet directly with many families. For the most part, these strategies resulted in great enrollment numbers in the schools.
However, despite all my work I knew there were still some girls who were not yet registered for school in October. For example, in the village of Diorila, the principal of our partner school there informed us that the principal of the primary school in Léna -- one of the neighboring villages of Diorila whose pupils usually go to the middle school of Diorila -- had told him that two girls from his school were not enrolling.
I immediately went to Léna to speak to the principal and then to meet with the parents of these two girls. Each girl faced a different barrier to her continued education. The first girl, Alimatou , did not have a birth certificate and her parents thought that meant she could not attend school. The second girl, Sira, was about to be sent to Bamako to look for work to earn money for the family.
For the first family, I was able to assure them that the lack of a birth certificate was not a barrier to enrolment for Alimatou. The parents were pleasantly surprised and quite happy to enroll their daughter. With Sira’s family, the discussion was a bit tougher because the family really needed the funds Sira might earn in Bamako. However, after a discussion of the longer-term economic benefits for the family of keeping Sira in school, they too agreed to enroll their daughter.
Our intervention was able to solve the problems of both girls and they started school just one week late. Given the distance between Diorila and the village of Léna, the two girls settled in Diorila with one of their relative's acquaintances. In exchange, their parents will send sacks of rice to help the host family in Diorila.
Many girls in Mali’s rural villages see their future destroyed by a simple problem or barrier like this. One of the simplest things the Girls’ Project can do is work with families to problem solve and break down these small barriers.
Wow! We're Soooooo Close
First, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has already donated to the Days of Giving Campaign. The good news is that, because of you, we exceeded our initial goal, and that means a lot of girls in school, a lot of textbooks, more skilled teachers, and a lot more goodness. Thank you!
But if you haven't given yet, there's more good news! The Johnson Family was so inspired by the Mali Rising community's generosity that they have extended their matching grant -- they will now match all donations up to $20,000! We've also extended the deadline to November 9 to give you a little more time to help us get that match for our students.
Double Your Donation During Days of Giving!
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
Our 3-day Gift of Education Days of Giving event starts today, and we need your help! This is our biggest fundraising effort of the year, and is critical for providing the support Mali Rising students need to make the most of this school year. Plus, gifts during Days of Giving are matched by the Johnson Family…which means each donation is TWICE as valuable! Can you help?
As part of the Mali Rising community, you are part of changing young people’s lives in Mali. Your gift of an education makes a difference for some great young people, and for a country facing both extreme poverty and on-going unrest.
With all of the uncertainty students face, going to school, curling up with a book, or playing soccer with our Girls’ Group teams are the little normalcies that allow kids to thrive in Mali. Those life-changing moments at school all come thanks to you and your generosity.
That’s why we are pulling together through the Days of Giving Gift of Education to raise $20,000 to provide the textbooks, teachers, girls’ support, and more students need to thrive during these tough times.
Your gift will mean twice as much during Days of Giving. The Johnson family has offered a generous challenge – if you give by November 6, they will match every dollar donated up to $10,000, DOUBLING the value of your donation. So if you give $10 for a textbook, that will really be two textbooks. And if you can give $100 to sponsor a girl to stay in school for a year, that’s actually two girls’ lives you will change for the better.
Please donate today to see your donation doubled! You can select from among a variety of great sponsorship items – from textbooks to girls' soccer to scholarships. Want to do more? Please help us reach our $20,000 goal by spreading the word to your friends or sharing our posts on social media.
PS Whether you can give or not, you are invited to a free, 30-minute online celebration on Sunday, November 13. Come get up close and personal with the students at one of our schools and learn more about the impact of your gift -- the event is free, rsvp is required.
Kicking Off a New Year of the Girls' Project in Style
They say first impressions matter. If that’s true, we really started things off right with our first meeting of the new school year for the Girls’ Project! All the girls in the Project’s five new villages (Diorlia, Sankama, Mana, Nieguenkoro, and Manabougou) enjoyed our first Girls’ Group meetings immensely.
Charging Up Principals for a New School Year
As the new school year got underway in Mali this month, we started gathering groups of our partner schools’ principals together to share ideas and energy. The first such meeting was hosted in the Ouelessebougou area, which is home to the majority of partner villages. It was an energetic meeting and the principals really took ownership of how to help each other in the coming year.
Alumni Networks for Mali Rising Schools
One key issue in any international development project is sustainability — how do you make sure a project is something a local community wants and is willing and able to support. Over the last 16 years of our work, the partner villages we work with have really driven our work and kept every school we’ve built with them functioning. But there is always room for improvement, and that’s where the new Alumni Networks come in!
Turning a Sewing Machine Into a Bright Future
This fall, Awa L. Toure received an Inspiration Scholarship from the Mali Rising Foundation. These scholarships are designed to help our most outstanding students continue their education and build independent, bright futures for themselves. Awa is already on the road to her dream future at tailor school!
