One of my favorite parts of my job is coordinating a newish project for Mali Rising Foundation — our Alumni Networks. These networks bring together graduates from our schools and support them as the work to help their school and inspire current students to stay in school and study hard. This was my first year with the Alumni Networks, and I had a great wrap up discussion with one participant — Pratric Samake, who graduated from Denik Middle School in Zambougou.
High Scoring Girls Explore New Worlds
At the end of each school year, the Girls’ Project hosts a big adventure for high scoring girls — a trip to the capitol city. For many girls, this will be their first trip to the big city so it is a great motivator to get their grades up. We’ve seen girls work hard to make sure they can get on the bus to Bamako! One of the objectives of the visit to Bamako was to introduce the girls to new things that will help them improve their knowledge in their studies and in Malian culture, but also to entertain them and encourage them to work hard at school. With this goal in mind, we take girls to see inspiring national treasures. This year, the girls visited the National Zoo and a national park.
Connecting Principals Across Vast Distances
Principals in Mali have a hard job and they are often literally hours away from any peers. These principals face struggles with students, parents, and bureaucracy and can often feel quite alone. The principals at the 28 Mali Rising partner schools are no exception.
That’s why a few years ago we established the Principals’ WhatsApp group. This group uses a tool nearly everyone in Mali uses, WhatsApp, to allow our principals to know each other and share useful information and experiences.
A Shiny Repaired School
By Fatoumata Kone, Operations Coordinator
Mali Rising has been in the business of building schools for 20 years, so some of those schools are getting quite old. This means that sometimes the school buildings need a little love to make sure they stay safe places for children. This year I coordinated that love for Ben Dixon Elementary School, built in 2010.
Ben Dixon Elementary is located in the little village of Manabougou. The village is about an hour down a dusty, red dirt road on the way to another of our schools. It is one of only two elementary schools in our network, home to hundreds of small children in 1st through 6th grade
The school was in real need of repairs to its classrooms and its principal office. Generally, the village is responsible for maintenance, but for big repairs we step in when the cost goes beyond what the village can afford. In these cases, we donate 80% of the cost and the village brings 20% of the cost to the table. Through this partnership, we repaired cracked walls and crumbling corners, removed ceiling tiles that were providing a home to bats (and their guano!), and replastered and painted the classrooms.
The repairs were carried out during the Easter break, so as not to disrupt the children's lessons. The contractor repaired the school in a week, with impeccable workmanship. When the children returned from their break, they were delighted to find their school much cleaner and prettier. The pupils told me that they were very happy with their classrooms and that the bats don't bother them anymore.
The management committee, the principal and the teachers were all delighted with the repairs. The principal said that before the repairs, if it started raining they were afraid to have the students inside but now their safety is guaranteed. Now, the students will be able to study in the best possible conditions.
This is an example of one of the things that makes Mali Rising different — our long-term commitment to our partnerships. We work with villages to make sure each school has what it needs to help students succeed….for decades. We look forward to at least 14 more years working with the students at Ben Dixon Elementary School!
Principals Party at Year End!
Being a middle school principal is a hard job no matter where you are. But being one in Mali is particularly tough! Mali Rising principals are in remote places, far from their families or professional support. They manage young teachers and parents who are often unfamiliar with the education system. Many have classes with 100+ students in them. Sometimes, a principal needs a little support and maybe just a little fun when they face this reality day to day!
A Mali Rising donor wanted to find a way to give just that to our principals this year — an experience that would make them feel like someone saw just how hard they worked. So with that donor’s support we set up a year-end party for the principals. We gathered 19 principals at a national park outside of Bamako for a day of relaxing, good food, games, and awards. Read on to hear what one principal thought of the experience…
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….
Join Our Board!
Mali Rising Foundation seeks volunteer board members with a passion for changing lives through the power of education. We're looking for board members to serve as ambassadors for our work and our students. Mali Rising Foundation's volunteer board guides our work and provides legal and financial oversight. These dedicated volunteers make sure we are on track to do the best job we can for Mali's children and to be responsible with donor dollars. Learn more…
Awa Dreamed of Sewing
As part of my job at Mali Rising, I have the pleasure of helping to identify, select, and track our Inspiration Scholars. These young people are especially outstanding Mali Rising graduates who receive scholarships to continue their education. I just love hearing their stories when I check in on their progress so I wanted to share one such story with our supporters. This is what Awa told me in her own words:
We Want You...to Join Monthly Giving Circle
Life is busy. To-do lists are long. Best intentions get drowned out by the most recent emergency. Believe me, I understand! If your life is like mine — and I bet it is — please consider the joy of becoming a member of Mali Rising’s Monthly Giving Circle.
Mamadou Wants an Educated Wife :)
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.
