By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
One of the most uplifting events for us here at Mali Rising is when we find one of our graduates who is going on to big things. Last week, our Construction Manager Alou shared the story of one such alumnae with me. I wanted to share Djènèba’s story with you today, because we can all use a little uplifting these days.
My name is Djènèba Traoré, I am 19 years old, I have three brothers and two sisters and my two parents live in Ouélessebougou. My father is a teacher and a former school principal, my mother takes care of things at home.
I went to middle school at the Leon W. Pete Harman Middle School in Tentou. I graduated and received my DEF diploma in 2015. My dream was to become a teacher like my father to pass my knowledge on to other people. In high school I continued to be interested in reading to improve my knowledge in literary subjects to continue my studies at the University of Bamako.
Currently I am in the second year of the University in the field of educational sciences where we have already studied subjects such as: educational policy, comparative education, didactics, teaching practices, general pedagogy, sociology education, general sociology, practical teaching work, and statistics. I sometimes have difficulty understanding scientific subjects, however I really like French because it is easy for me. I have loved it since when I was very young because my father speaks French well and he teaches it well.
My goal is to become a teacher like my father. He was a good educator but he was limited in his own education. I want to go beyond what he was able to do and that is why I chose "Educational Sciences" which is the area where I can study education in depth. I am on the right track to achieve this goal.
My studies helped me to have a personality. Thanks to my studies my life has changed a lot. Each year I learn a lot of things that I can pass on to my brothers and sisters. I can participate in debates on education in general and especially on girls' education in particular. Education brought me out of the darkness to bring myself to the light.
I currently live with my older sister in Bamako who is married to a civil servant, she is educated and also works as a civil servant. I very much admire intellectual women. It is thanks to my studies that I am in Bamako where I find the opportunity to train myself in other things. When I am not at school, I am interested in cooking to learn how to prepare all kinds of wonderful food. I know how to make a lot of variety of Malian dishes such as to with okra, rice with peanut sauce, onion sauce (yasa), and a special sauce with a lot of leaves (saga saga).
The education of a girl is a necessity because the educated girl can have her financial independence and she will be able to orient herself well in social life. An educated woman can educate her children well and she can avoid problems with her husband.
If I had not been able to go to school, I would have had to stay home at the expense of my parents. I would not have been to able to help my brothers and sisters. I was going to be married without my consent and have many children without being able to control their education. It’s lucky for me to have an educated father who encourages me to study. Currently, I am not married, I have no children.
I chose the field of educational sciences to understand the teaching profession and be able to take advantage of it and help serve people who lack the skills and know-how. In Mali the education of children has deteriorated, we have lost our momentum due to the influence of other cultures. Children often imitate the behaviors of influential figures in foreign films they regularly watch. These behaviors do not take into account our realities.
I am very happy with the Mali Rising Foundation. They built a school in my village, and thanks to this school I and many children of poor parents were able to continue our studies at university. I ask that Mali Rising continue these works to give my peers a better chance to study and to become interesting people who can help their parents and their country. I hope they will build many more classrooms for our brothers and sisters to give them the opportunity to see great cities and be great people. Thanks to your help, our country will develop when otherwise many children lose their chance.
