Sira is among a group of students receiving Strong Woman Scholarships, sponsored by a Mali Rising supporter in memory of her sister. This year, five outstanding girls like Sira will become nurses because a pair of sisters believed in the power of young women.

Sira is a 17-year-old graduate of Mali Rising’s Tim Gibson Middle School in the little village of Sebela in southern Mali. Sira has the kind of cheerful confidence you really want in a nurse, and that is already serving her well in her nursing studies.

Sira is finding nursing school busy, but not too terribly overwhelming. She says “We study a lot of subjects like anatomy, physiology, surgery, medicine and pharmacy, and that's a lot. but I have no problems with the subjects. I like all these subjects without exception.”

As classwork wrapped up for the year, Sira was already chomping at the bit to get to her internship to get some hands-on experience. “I imagine that at my internship half of my work will be assisting with childbirths to be stronger and more experienced. I would like to do my internship in a busy clinic to be stronger.”

“After when I graduate, I will try to find work in clinics or in large hospitals because they know our value and our competences, many do not know our values because we are matrons [nursing assistants],” says Sira. We bet that Sira’s breezy confidence and strong skills will soon convince employers of her value.

The Strong Woman Scholarship is part of our Inspiration Scholar Project, which helps dozens of Mali Rising graduates continue their education each year. Interested in supporting an Inspiration Scholar? Use the button below to donate!

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