Earlier this month I traveled to the Sikasso region, where a group of our most far-flung schools needed our attention. I traveled there to do a big training with the local teachers; my colleague Hindaty went to do some work with the schools’ girls. While I was there, I had the chance to talk with some students about their time in school. Today, I would like to share the story of Lakanan, who attends the Eagle Environmental Academy, and dreams of becoming a police officer.
Serious Soumaila Has a Plan for His Village & His Future
My name is Soumaila Doumbia. I am 17 years old. I am in the 8th grade at Christiana Norris Middle School in Banko. I live in Banko with my parents. My father is a preacher (seer). He teaches me a bit about what he does but it's my school studies that I love. My mother sells pancakes at the market. Last year for 7th grade, I traveled to a school in a village called Touban. Touban is 11 km from Banko. I made this trip by bike in 90 minutes with other boys from my village who attended the same school. I was often late and the bike often broke.
Saving Hours of Walking a Day = More Learning
Right now, a group of dedicated supporters is walking in our Miles for Mali event to raise funds to build a new school for the kids of a little village called N’Goko. (You could join us!) A new school means new hope for hundreds of students…just ask Seydou, a young man benefiting from a school we built in his village in 2018…
Registration is open for Miles for Mali!
It is time to get walking! Well, it is at least time to get registered to get walking! Registration opens today for Miles for Mali — a fun virtual walking event that raises funds for school construction in Mali. This May, you can help build a school for the children of N’Goko in southeastern Mali, just by taking a walk.
On the Road from Zela to Beneko
Just 10 days remain for participants in our Miles to Mali challenge! So far, walkers have covered 1,223 miles and raised more than $1,600 to raise funds for our next school. Why do they do it? To help girls like those our staff meet up with on the road to school last week. We found two groups of girls making their way from the small hamlet of Zela to the village of Beneko, home to our Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School. Each day, the girls traverse more than 4 miles each way with the goal of improving their lives at school.
Why You Walk -- The Long Road to School
As all our Miles for Mali walkers start their journey this month, I thought this would be a good time to share a story from students in Mali about their own daily journey to school. Recently, our staff in Mali passed a group of girls on their way to school. They stopped to ask the girls about their trip. The girls were in the midst of their daily 8 kilometer (5 mile) one-way walk to school…
Two Stories to Make You Feel Hopeful
When I first started working with Mali Rising, it was months before I could get to Mali to visit our students and our schools. This was a form of torture. Luckily for me, we started the Student Spotlight feature and it gave me a taste of the great kids I now am beginning to know so well. Here are two such stories to lift your spirits just as they lift mine.
