March 8, 2021 was International Women’s Day. At Mali Rising, we celebrated this special day in our own way. How? By cheering for our girls as they played their hearts out on a dusty soccer field. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the girls cannot currently travel between schools to play. However, we set up match between the 7th and 8th grade girls and the 9th grade girls at Denik Middle School in Zambougou.
Soccer Brings Hawa Back to School
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
I am not sporty. Like, not at all sporty. But when we researched critical components for our Girls Project it was clear that sport should be part of the project. Studies show team sports can help recruit more girls into schools and that participating on a team helps keep girls enrolled — reducing drop outs. Even though I know know the studies provide good, quantitative facts, nothing beats a story to drive the point home! I recently asked Hindaty, our Girls Project Coordinator, if she had a story from one of our soccer playing girls and she shared this one:
“Hawa Touré is 14 years old and is doing 8th grade at Sue Taylor Middle School. She is a very intelligent girl. She and her mother were abandoned by her father, so she had a very hard childhood. This year she and her mother had decided that she would drop out of school to start a small business to meet their needs. She did not come to school regularly, but did come regularly to the Girls Group meetings. One day, the girls of Simidji [another Mali Rising Girls Project village] came to play against the girls in Diorila. She absolutely wanted to play but I told her no unless she attended school regularly. Hawa accepted my proposal so I let her play. After this match, she began to take an interest in studies because she wanted at all costs to play the return match in Simidji. She had an average grade of 14. Hawa is brave now to continue studying thanks to soccer. “
I love this story, and hope you do too! Our supporters make turnarounds like Hawa’s possible for Mali Rising students. Thank you for your help! Learn more about the Girls Project.
What Soccer Means For One Girl
As part of our successful Girls Project, Mali Rising sets up girls soccer teams and coordinates competitions between schools. Sports participation has been shown to increase enrollment and retention in school, which are both key goals of the Girls Project. In addition, soccer is just plain fun and helps our girls build their leadership and team skills! In this blog post, a girl from Kolimba’s team shares her experiences from a soccer game against the girls of Sebela. This match was held earlier this year, before COVID-19 shut down schools and group events like soccer matches. Fatoumata Doumbia is 15 years old and in 8th grade in Nièta Kalanso Middle School in Kolimba. She talks about their experience related to their soccer game in with girls from Tim Gibson Middle School in Sebela….
Girls Explore Healthy Choices
The choices we make for ourselves and for others can have a big impact on our lives. We need to know the choices to make so that we and our loved ones stay healthy and safe. Often in our small villages in Mali we don't think much about these choices. But by learning from each other, we can see the many ways we can help each other and what we can do to improve our health and lifestyle.
Travelogue...Day 5: Soccer, soccer, and soccer...plus some work
Day 5 of our travels found us at full-strength as a team — the Mali Rising staff, Tim Gibson (Mali Rising supporter), Courtney Colter (Mali Rising board member), and two great translator — Mady & Hawa. This was a long day with visits to two schools — Little Heroes Academy II in Tanima and Tim Gibson Middle School in Sebela.
Strong Girls Play Soccer
As part of our larger Girls Project, we support several girls’ soccer teams. Research shows participation in sports helps with school attendance and success. We also see it as a way to build community among our girls and to create self confidence. Also important — the whole village comes out to watch the girls compete and gets to see these fierce and strong young women in action! In this blog post, Hindaty shares her view of the first school vs. school match of the season.
On a hot and dusty day in Mali, two new Mali Rising girls’ soccer teams met for the first time. Thursday, November 28 was the first match of a football competition between the girls of the village of Tamala and those of the village of Zambougou.
Building Grit & Resiliency in the Hot Mali Sun!
One of the very best days of our recent trip was without a doubt the day of the big soccer match between the Beneko Birds and the Simidji Girls. These two village teams are made up of members of our Girls Groups in two of our three pilot villages for the Girls Project. Sports, and soccer in particular, are an important part of the Project — building grit and resiliency in our girls. And oh my is it working.
Simidjila's Girls vs. Beneko's Birds: Girls Soccer!
We love gritty girls. Gritty, you say? Yes! Grit, leadership skills, teamwork abilities, and self-confidence are critical traits for strong kids. These traits are especially important for girls in Mali, who must overcome many obstacles to get the education they deserve. Thanks to our donors, we support the development of all these traits through participation with our new girls' soccer teams. Check out this blog post for news and photos from the first-ever, inter-school Mali Rising soccer match!
