By Hindaty Traore, Girls’ Project Manager

In Mali, all too often we find that students who diligently attend school still cannot read. Based on my own personal observations, I would estimate that around 80% of middle school students are not able to read a sentence correctly in French and 85% of elementary students are not able read aloud a simple sentence like “My school is pretty.”

Through the Girls’ Project’s Great Girls Read campaign, I am focused on changing this dynamic for our girls. I am particularly passionate about focusing on reading with our elementary school girls, because if they can learn reading young it will set them way ahead in middle school!

This is new work for the Girls’ Project. Just this year, we added two primary schools – Ben Dixon Elementary School and the primary school that feeds into our Sue Taylor Middle School to our work.

Throughout the 22/23 school year, I have worked hard with the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at these schools with reading support and fun activities. The girls have vastly improved their skills!

One example can be found in little Soumantené Doumbia. She is 9 years old and is in the third grade at the Ben Dixon Middle School in Manabougou. She comes from a large family of 30 people. She is a shy and reserved girl but she smiles easily and has been very active in Girls’ Project activities. I have watched her blossom as the Girls Project helped her to read, gave her courage in her studies, and helped her have fun playing on the girls’ soccer team.

 At the beginning of the year when we asked the girls to read words, none of the girls at Ben Dixon School could read even just one word. But now each of the girls is doing well in reading. Some are even very impressive, like Soumantené.

 "I'm very happy to have had the chance to go to school and I would like to finish my studies and become a doctor because when I'm sick and in pain it's the doctors who take care of me and I no more pain. I also want no one to have pain in life, especially my parents,” said Soumantené.  “I really like the Girls’ Project because thanks to this I can read the texts little by little. Before, I couldn't read any words but now I can read sentences, even if it is with difficulty.”

Soumantené  continued, “I appreciated the Great Girls’ Read reading sessions a lot because it taught me to read and made me want to learn more. I wanted to win the reading contest we just did but unfortunately I couldn't. But I'm not going to give up, I plan to prepare myself for next year! When we were given the little reading book, I trained every day at home and concentrated during the sessions.”

Although Soumantené did not win this year’s reading contest, I think she has already won because knowing how to read in a short time is already a huge victory. I believe Soumantené when she says she will do everything to win in the next contest!

Helping our girls develop their reading skills has been hugely rewarding to me. After just this one year of our reading sessions, the teachers note its beneficial effects on school practice. As we wrap up this school year, I can’t wait to do more Great Girls Read sessions next school year and take our girls even farther!