By Ousmane Coulibaly, Operations Coordinator
One of the most inspiring things we see at Mali Rising is a student who takes their education and turns it into a way to help others. We see this time and again, but in no case is it clearer than with our nursing scholarship recipients.
Mali Rising provides scholarships to our outstanding graduates to continue their education. A popular choice of graduates — nursing school. In all nursing programs in Mali, students first take theoretical courses before going to practice in health centers. The theoretical courses allow students to acquire basic knowledge on the subject, such as the study of different drugs/medicines and their function in human body.
After their nursing courses are complete, some of our graduates return to serve their own village communities or go to other small, remote villages in need of service. The case of Mariam Samake is a good example.
Mariam is a young woman who benefited from Mali Rising scholarship. She gradated in 2021 from the Trujillo Family Middle School in N'tentou Kouroulamini. After graduation, she used a Mali Rising Inspiration Scholarship to enroll at Bougouni Health School to specialize in nursing. After having followed a year of theoretical courses in this school, the director of the school sent her to a practical internship so that she can link theory and practice.
"I am currently doing a midwifery internship in the rural commune of Danou, more precisely at the health center of Torakoro. It is after this practice that I will take my final exam in order to obtain my diploma,” explained Marima. “The internship is very important, it allows us to make the link between theory and practice. I am very proud of myself because many of my friends envy me today. They weren't as lucky as me and their parents can't afford to pay for their studies. Thanks to Mali Rising, my studies were funded. Through practice, I learned how to deliver babies, how to place serums, how to give injections to patients and many other things. I can say that I almost succeeded, because I learned a job.”
Mariam Samake is very happy to benefit from this midwifery training. She has already started to practice and has already begun to earn a living. She looks forward to becoming increasingly independent and useful to her family and community. Mariam's dream came true thanks to the financial support of our donors.
