By Hindaty Traore, Girls’ Project Manager

Everyone can agree: sometimes it is your friends who get you through the touch stuff….and middle school is REALLY tough stuff. Two girls in the Girls’ Project demonstrate this truth perfectly! Fatoumata and Tenin have been inseparable friends since primary school. Today, both girls are 13 years old and attend the 8th grade in Little Heroes Academy I school in Mana.

Fatoumata is a painfully shy girl, and this attracted ridicule from the students in her class. Fatoumata is the youngest of a family of twenty children. She was born in Ouéléssebougou, but then her mother divorced and remarried a man from another village. This dramatic life change had a big impact on Fatoumata, hence her shyness.

Luckily for her, her friend Tenin always stood up for her, reassured her, encouraged her, and helped her with the lessons she didn't understand. The two friends are both passionate about studies. Fatoumata likes science subjects because she wants to become a doctor and Tenin likes languages so she can travel and speak with other people from other countries.

Both girls tell me they think they perform better when they work together. If one makes a mistake the other corrects it during their lessons. They think that when they are together it reduces stress, improves concentration, develops creativity, they learn lessons together, do homework together, and generally make sure they both learn what is needed! According to the girls, they compete a lot with each other in terms of studies.

 “Fatoumata was shy and introverted and often lacked self-confidence. She tended to isolate herself during recess. I was trying to chat with her to help because I consider her my twin sister since we are the same age. It can also happen that some children argue with her and I always defend her,” explained Tenin. “For me, friendships are sources of happiness, fulfillment, and sharing. They allow us to feel supported, connected and constitute a real barrier against loneliness.”

Fatoumata sees the benefits of their partnership as well. “Bad company can put an end to your studies and put you on a path you will regret later. I am very proud to have a friend like Tenin,” said Fatoumata. “We're together all the time, we argue all the time, but then we make up. I think that if I didn't have a good friend, I certainly wouldn't be one of the best students in my class. [In the future] we would like to build hospitals and schools in our village so that the village is proud of us and also for the development of our village.”

Working with Tenin and Fatoumata this year reminded me that academic success isn’t only about teachers and textbooks – it is about kids having the broad network of support they need to thrive.