By Hindaty Traore, Girls Project Manager

Oumou Sidibé is one of our Girls Project students in Kolimba. She is 16 years old and lives in Kolimba with her parents. She is in the 9th grade in Nièta Kalanso Middle School.

Oumou repeated the 6th grade because of an illness, but despite this setback she did not drop out of school. Oumou loves school because she would like to have a job and to be able to earn a living. This would allow her to help her parents and her village.

Her dream is to set up projects in the village, such as installing wells in order to facilitate the work of the villagers, such as drawing water and electrifying Kolimba so that everyone has access to electricity.

Oumou also wants to create a green space with toys to entertain all the children in the village. She had this idea because she saw a place in Bamako where the children came to play.

She is the one who cooks for her siblings when her mother is away. His father also often goes into the bush with his oxen. She can stay at home alone with her two little sisters and her brother for as long as one month!

After graduation, she would like to be a doctor. She dreams of seeing herself dressed in a white jacket to help women give birth because, according to her, helping to give birth is the wonderful thing to do.

She is afraid of shame and of humiliation…like all of us! Her best friend is named Cely Doumbia. Despite their regular arguments, Cely continues to be her best friend because she loves Cely very much. They often argue over the phone.

Mali Rising is very important to Oumou because she thinks it is thanks to the organization that she studies in the good conditions with the village classrooms. She also says that she was encouraged by Girls Project throughout her middle school studies. According to her, the Girls Project has a lot to do with her motivation to make her dreams come true. Thanks to the project, she says she learned a lot.

Her idol is Mai, a Kolimba woman who is independent and has found a good job. She wants to be like her because she was born and raised in Kolimba and she is doing something for their village. She sends fertilizer, food, money and many other things to the village. Oumou in turn would like to do things so that her village would be proud of her one day.