Djeneba Traore is a Mali Rising Foundation alumnae and a very brave girl who has loved schools since she was a little girl. Despite obstacles, Djeneba got her education and is now ready to get to work teaching the next generation.
Investing in School Leaders=Investing in Studetns
Teachers and principals really set the tone for a school. That’s one of the reasons I love working with our teachers and principals — good leadership in the classrooms and the school overall means the kids can really learn and grow in our schools. That’s why I’m sad when we sometimes have to say goodbye to good principals, like principal Make Ezai Mounkoro of Sue Chung Chiu Middle School.We will miss Mr. Mounkoro and his steady leadership. But, when his replacement arrives in the village this fall we will be just as ready to help the new principal as we were to support Mr. Mounkoro. Anything for our students!
Life-Changing Parties? Sign Us Up!
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…
Great Girls Read Returns Results!
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!
Turning An Education Into An Orchard
The power of education is that it gives people freedom and choice -- the freedom to dream big and the choice of how to build a better life. Some people will use their education to go to medical school, while some will use it go to college and become a teacher. And here in Mali – where agriculture is the largest part of our economy – many will use their education to learn the skills to launch an agricultural business. This is the path chosen by Mali Rising graduate, Bakary Koné.
Excitement Already Brewing For Next School Year
As we wrapped up one school year this June, I was already shifting gears to plan for next school year! As part of that planning, I think a lot about how to make the largest difference for our teachers and, through them, our students. One of my favorite campaigns I work on is our Intensive Teacher Training Campaign. One reason I like it so much: our teachers and principals love it!
A Scholar Moves On To High School
Mali Rising offers scholarships to our most outstanding graduates to help them continue their education in high school or vocational school. We call these Inspiration Scholarships, because they not only help the individual students who receive them but also inspire students still in school to study hard to pursue a scholarship themselves. I recently had the chance to talk to one of our Inspiration Scholars about what the scholarship meant for her.
Girls Discover the Joy of Reading
Alumni Paying it Forward
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.
