Life is busy. To-do lists are long. Best intentions get drowned out by the most recent emergency. Believe me, I understand! If your life is like mine — and I bet it is — please consider the joy of becoming a member of Mali Rising’s Monthly Giving Circle.
Donate Your Birthday to Mali's Kids
I recently turned 50. (Seriously, ack.) But it was the most satisfying birthday I’ve ever had. Why? I donated my birthday to the kids of Mali Rising! You can do that too! It is so easy to do. I personally love biology and learning about the natural world, so I decided to raise funds for natural science (like our biology class) textbooks for students at a Mali Rising school that had ZERO natural science books. My goal was to raise funds for 50 books , but in the end my wonderful friends donated 180 books!
Half Way There: Let's Get 300 Textbooks to Mali's Students!
Wow! Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Back to School Textbook Drive so far. Because of you, we are nearly half way to our goal of providing 300 textbooks to students in Mali. If you haven’t got involved yet, please join us in the cheapest feel-good activity you can find — just a $10 donation provides a much-needed textbook.
Remembering A Sister; Changing Young Women's Lives
When we lose someone we love, we often want to find a way to help their memory live on. There are many ways to keep that memory alive. I wanted to share one way a Mali Rising supporter, who is also my mom, decided to keep her sister’s memory alive. Both my mom and my aunt have been supporters of Mali Rising’s Girl Project, but I think we’ve all been surprised at just how much my mom’s idea for making sure my aunt’s belief in the power of young women lived on has mattered to us since we lost Aunt Chris.
Did You Know You Can Sponsor A Latrine?
It's Not Too Late to Give a Gift That Matters...Yet
It’s not too late! Really. If you celebrate Christmas and you’ve hit that full panic and feel you’ve left things too late to ever find a meaningful gift for the woman in your life…you’re in luck! You can still give the gift of 50 Women membership to your loved one, and the gift of an education to girls in Mali.
Wondering what to give the amazing woman in your life?
If you're like me, you know you're lucky to have your amazing mother, daughter, best friend, or wife. But every year you struggle to find a gift that reflects how much you admire her strength, her grit, her kindness. What gift could possibly measure up? This year, why not give her a gift that really reflects who she is – a powerful force for good in the world. Give her a chance to help young women in Mali grow into smart, powerful, compassionate women just like her…give her a 50 Women membership.
Join 50 Women & Change Girls' Lives!
Bidding for Good at the Soiree!
I know I’ve done it and I bet you have too -- got carried away at a charity auction and come home with a strange carving we can't fit anywhere in our house. We shrug and tell ourselves the funds went to a good cause. So why not just directly decide where those funds will go and spare yourself donating the dusty trinket to the thrift store two years later? That's the concept behind the Auction for Action at Mali Rising's Soiree this Thursday.
Walking & Thinking With Miles for Mali
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
This month as part of our Miles for Mali campaign, I’ve pledged to walk (and run) 160 miles. Miles for Mali is using this virtual walking event to raise funds to build a school for the children of the little village of Sankama in southern Mali.
Long walks to school are a challenge for Mali's kids, but that doesn't mean there isn't some fun to be had on the road.
I’m pretty active (and I have a young border collie to keep me motivated), so the actual distance hasn’t been too much of a challenge thus far. I think my body actually really likes walking, so physically it has been all positive. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally drop those 5 pounds I gained when I took this job!
But timewise fitting in the distance has been more of a challenge. Squeezing in time in a busy day for a good walk is an on-going pressure. I’ve used Miles for Mali to motivate me to get out of bed on a Saturday and go for a good hike or to take an evening stroll with the dogs instead of zoning out with Netflix.
Those are small life adjustments, but it has really made me think about the reality for our students in Mali, who have to find the time to do these walks every school day, all school year long.
On average, before Mali Rising builds a school with a partner village, the nearest school is 3 to 5 miles away on average – making for a 6 to 10 mile round-trip each day. And to fit that in around a school day that runs from 8am to 5pm, extensive chores at home, and finding a bit of time to actually do homework…well, you can see where students struggle.
Building a school for the kids of Sankama will make their commute easy so they can focus their time on learning, and on being a kid. Currently, about 90 percent of students in Sankama drop out after elementary school because they just can’t do the long walk to the nearest middle school.
Want to help? Support a school for Sankama! You can donate here or support one of our great Miles for Mali walkers here.
