When school closes down for the summer, it is a great time to rest and reflect. Just as school was wrapping up, I asked a few teachers, parents, and students to share their impression of Mali Rising’s Girls’ Project during the 23/24 school here. Here’s a sampling of their thoughts...
A Scholar Moves On To High School
Mali Rising offers scholarships to our most outstanding graduates to help them continue their education in high school or vocational school. We call these Inspiration Scholarships, because they not only help the individual students who receive them but also inspire students still in school to study hard to pursue a scholarship themselves. I recently had the chance to talk to one of our Inspiration Scholars about what the scholarship meant for her.
Principals Party at Year End!
Being a middle school principal is a hard job no matter where you are. But being one in Mali is particularly tough! Mali Rising principals are in remote places, far from their families or professional support. They manage young teachers and parents who are often unfamiliar with the education system. Many have classes with 100+ students in them. Sometimes, a principal needs a little support and maybe just a little fun when they face this reality day to day!
A Mali Rising donor wanted to find a way to give just that to our principals this year — an experience that would make them feel like someone saw just how hard they worked. So with that donor’s support we set up a year-end party for the principals. We gathered 19 principals at a national park outside of Bamako for a day of relaxing, good food, games, and awards. Read on to hear what one principal thought of the experience…
Friendship Fosters Academic Success
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.
Judge, Pediatrician, & More: Girls Dream Big
Skits Use Humor to Broach Tough Topics
At the end of each school year, Mali Rising’s Girls’ Project organizes celebrations in each Project village. We call these celebrations Feasts and use them to bring the whole village together to learn about and celebrate girls’ education. One way that we convey awareness messages is through humorous skits. We focus these skits on sensitive subjects that girls face during their education.
Boys Speak Out for Girls
Girls’ education is a challenging subject everywhere in Mali. But it is especially problematic in rural areas, like those where our schools are located. Many parents in Mali do not think that a girl’s education is as valuable as a boy’s. Parents’ attitudes towards girls’ education are also passed down to their sons. As a step toward breaking that cycle, we host discussions with boys at our schools about girls’ education as a human right and as an issue that improves everyone’s future — boys, girls, families, and communities.
Female Role Models Inspire Girls
In January, we brought three women from different careers to talk with Girls’ Project girls about their educational and professional backgrounds and the importance of a girl's education. he speakers included a policewoman, an electrician and a firefighter. The visit of three women allowed the girls to to motivate themselves, to be courageous and to know the different functions that women can exercise. The speakers not only talked about their time in school, but also their journey to finding work as a woman. The women stressed the journey to show the girls that magic didn't get them where they are today!
Independence, Sustainability, & Safe Schools
Are you a skilled DIYer? What if you had to do the repairs at your kid’s school….would your skills hold up for that DIY job? Maybe not, but if you had a little help maybe you could feel good about contributing back to the school. That’s what our school maintenance trainings do for parents on our partner schools’ School Management Committeees.
New Villages for a New Year of the Girls' project
Mali Rising’s Girls’ Project strives to get more girls into school and help them succeed and thrive once they are there. In the past six years, we’ve helped girls in eight different villages get into school and stay there. This summer, we are selecting five new villages for intensive work via the Project. We are excited to announce those new villages today.
