By Ousmane Coulibaly, Operations Coordinator

Mali Rising’s graduates leave 9th grade and scatter around the region. Although some stay in their home village, many move to a bigger town for high school or a vocation school or head to the city to find work. I recently tracked down one of our graduates who is living in Ouelessebougou, a big town that is home to a high school where he is continuing his education.

“My name is Zantigui Bagayoko. I am a former student of Mali Rising Foundation. I got my DEF [certification that he passed the national graduation exam] in 2015 from the middle school Cliff and Nita Bailey of Beneko,” he told me.

I asked Zantigui what he is doing currently and he responded, “Currently, I am pursuing my studies at the Lycée Public of Ouelessebougou and I am in the 12 grade and I focus on Social Sciences.”

We also discussed Zantigui’s plans for his future. He shared his big vision for his life, “I have a lot of aspirations and dreams in life. I would like to study and become a customs officer. I really like this job. I would like to success in life, because I would like to contribute to the development of my community. When I will get means, I would like to bring clean drinking water to our village, and build paved roads, schools, and health centers. I would also like to increase the number of teachers, because there is a lack of teachers in our school in the village.”

Zantigui’s vision for his future is clear and after talking with him I believe he will achieve his goals. I love how he plans to give back to his village as well — this is why education is so important to Mali’s future!