by Alou Doumbia, Field Director
Among the Inspiration Scholarship students of the 2018-2019 school year, we presented scholarships to two students who are twins. They are Lassine Diakité and Fousseny Diakité.
These two students passed their graduation exams at Mali Rising’s Tim Gibson Middle School in the village of Sebela. From their first year of school these young people have competed with each other. When Lassine obtains a good class mark, Fousseni also tries to have the same class mark. When Lassine passes for a superior class, Fousseny also passes for the same superior class.
When Mali Rising opened Tim Gibson Middle School, the twins started walking for 3 km every day to come and study in Sébela. After passing the national graduation exam, these two twins were fortunate enough to be granted Mali Rising Foundation Inspiration Scholarships. They are all currently studying science in 11th grade at a high school,“Lycée privé Boïba de Baguineda”.
When we interviewed them, each replied that they want to become a great doctor because they are curious to know how twins are genetically formed. They are jealous of each other in everything they do. When Fousseny plays ball, Lassine also plays ball; when Fousseny is sick, Lassine also falls sick. Their father says that they are very brave, that they learn lessons together abd they go to school together.
Before the boys graduated middle school, their parents were concerned about bearing their high school expenses when they were away from their families (there are few high schools in Mali, so most students must go stay in a far away town to go to high school). With the scholarships from the Mali Rising Foundation, the twins’ parents are happy to be able to bear the rest of their expenses. According to their father, these two boys are lucky and bring happiness.
According to Malian tradition when a family receives twin children, the family must go for regular walks with them to ask for help from the population. These donations are very often money. Even if the parents can afford to support the twins, tradition says if the family does not ask for help, one of the parents will not live long. In Mali twins are respected and often feared because of the mystical defense powers they have. Some people think the twins have scorpions they can send to bite people who offend them!
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