By Merritt Frey, Executive Director & Adama Kone, Teacher Project Coordinator
Right now, a group of dedicated supporters is walking in our Miles for Mali event to raise funds to build a new school for the kids of a little village called N’Goko. (You could join us!) A new school means new hope for hundreds of students…just ask Seydou, a young man benefiting from a school we built in his village in 2018:
As a side note, we’re glad to see Seydou wearing his face mask. Safety first!
I am a 9th grader in The Mindful Bunch Middle School of Kafara, where I was born. My name is Seydou Doumbia and I like school very much. Before my village was granted a middle school by Mali Rising Foundation in 2018, I used to walk to the middle school of Sougoula, which is 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) away from Kafara, my village.
At that time, we were about 70 students who had to walk to Sougoula every day. I personally did that for only 1 year, but some others spent 2 years walking that far. We were a very motivated group of boys and girls to study, otherwise we would have all dropped out.
The walk was very hard for me because I had to spend days without having lunch in Sougoula because of the distance. It was very tiring too! I did not have enough time to read or study at home, or even to get enough sleep because I would wake up at 5 am to get ready for walking to school. Sometimes I would not even have breakfast since I was afraid to be very late for my classes. I honestly did not like to walk this distance every day even though we were many to go through it, but I liked school and so did not have a choice. So, I had to deal with it as the only option.
I am now 18 years old and one of 35 students in 9th grade at Mali Rising’s The Mindful Bunch school in Kafara this year. We get along with each other very well which I really love. Thanks to our new school, my classmates and I are all happy now. We do not have to walk long distance and get worn out anymore. I love our new classrooms not only because they are beautiful but also because they are close to me now. I can see my teachers whenever I want to as need. I have all my time now to read and study at home too.
I really love the civic education subject the best because it helps me know many things about Mali, my country, and the information is easy to memorize too. I also like English because I want to speak well and travel to English-speaking countries as a big man. I know it is hard for people to travel to many places if you do not speak English.
My hardest subject is mathematics. I just cannot learn it as well as I want, and when the teacher is explaining it I feel so slow to understand and get discouraged quickly.
As a dreamer, I would like to be a fireman in the future. I like that job very much because they save lives and are usually nice to people in Mali. That is not the only reason why I want to do it, but it would also allow me to support my parents and other relatives. The money I would get could help me build nicer houses for my parents and buy a car for my family, after getting married and having children. I would like this job very much!
Thank you, Mali Rising Foundation and The Mindful bunch for building a school in my village, Kafara. No more long, long walks to the middle school of Sougoula!
Inspired by the difference a school can make? Join us in Miles for Mali to help kids just like Sougoula succeed and grow! If you can’t walk with us, consider donating to one of our Miles for Mali walkers — all donations go to build the school in N’Goko.
