We are overjoyed that the new middle school for the children of Banko — Christiana Norris Middle School — is now open in Mali and serving kids. Alas, for now we cannot do the typical ceremonial opening with the Norris Family, who generously sponsored the school. Instead, our staff brought a video from the Norris Family to share with the students and interviewed students, staff, and parents about the new school. Over the next week, I’ll be sharing stories and interviews from that trip. The first interview story today is from a young man, Bakary, who was able to return home to his family now that the village has a school for him!
Celebrating A New School & A New Future
On November 14, we did one of the most amazing and most overwhelming things you can do -- we officially opened a new Mali Rising school. The celebratory opening in the tiny village of Sebela was simply incredible, with hundreds of excited children, wonderful dancers, dozens of dignitaries, and much more.
The Winner In Our Name the School Contest Is ...
What's In a Name?
It’s halfway through my Malian trip and I found myself in the rural village of Lofine. Mali Rising’s team is tucked away under the shade of a huge gnarled tree for the opening of a new school. The ceremony is chaotic, but beautiful. There were traditional dances intertwined through speeches of the village dignitaries as well as the board members of Mali Rising.I slowly lost interest during the painstaking translations from English to Bambara and reverted to studying the faces of those in the large crowd circled around us.
