By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

Departures are sad, but they are also often joyful! Such is the case as we say goodbye to Ousmane Coulibaly, our Operations Coordinator.

Ousmane was selected for a highly competitive government employment program — beating out many other applicants on a difficult national exam. As a result, Ousmane will become a research assistant and, importantly, will have his doctoral studies funded b the government! The only downside? Six months of army service will be a totally new world for Ousmane, but he is game to get it done. :)

We will miss Ousmane’s dedication and energy in our Mali office. Two of Ousmane’s biggest achievements while with Mali Rising were the creation of two pilot Alumni Networks and his hard, but unglamorous, work to make sure we were complying with Mali’s intricate labor laws. His work will continue to help Mali Rising and our students long after his departure.

We thank Ousmane for all his work and wish him great success and happiness in his future!