These days, when we hear about Mali in the news it tends to be a bit of a downer. We read about jihadist attacks or military coups, or perhaps a sad story about someone who has been displaced and is deeply struggling to get by. These stories are true, but it is important to remember that Mali is still a place of culture, beauty, and good people. If you need a quick hit of that more positive angle, explore Discover Malian Culture: The 4 Marvelous Ms by Google.
When Mud Stands Between You & Your Education
When it rains, it pours. This old saying is especially true in Mali, and it presents a special challenge to children walking to school. It is common for many kids in rural areas in Mali to walk several miles to school and some children may walk four to five miles each way. The time and energy required each day is one of the most common reasons students drop out of school, especially when it comes to girls. This is why building schools is a core part of our education work — by bringing the school closer to the kids, we can make a big difference! This is never more true than during the rainy season. In the picture below, you see the road to one of the Mali Rising partner villages, Nieguekoro, which is home to Ross and Marilou Moser Middle School. This scene is typical during the rainy season.
Travelogue: Days 9 & 10 -- Getting to Know a Potential Partner Village & Road Tripping
Join Us on February 12 to Explore Mali...From the Comfort of Your Own Home
Join us via video link for an informal and fun travelogue from our January expedition to Mali. The U.S. staff spent spend 2 weeks visiting 14 of our schools, exploring future partner villages, and more. In this video event we will share highlights and stories from the trip, and answer your questions about our work and Mali. This is a great way to explore the culture of Mali and understand Mali Rising’s work without leaving the comfort of your home!
Travelogue...Days 1 & 2: Teachers & Termite Bites
The US- and Mali-based staff spent two weeks in January together in the field in Mali. Our incredibly limited access to the internet did not allow us to post our blog updates from the field, so we are sharing them now from the zippy wi-fi of the U.S. Join us on the blog for the next few weeks for a daily update on the trip!
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
Day 1-2, January 11-12: The first full day of our expedition was a memorable one, including a lively peer meeting with 10 of our teachers and a termite bit for me.
I arrived in Bamako early on Saturday evening, having met up with Mali Rising supporter and volunteer extraordinaire Tim Gibson at the Paris airport. The Mali staff welcomed us at the airport in sunny Bamako, but then left us to recover under our hotel’s beautiful, big trees. After more than 24 hours of travel, we were happy to head to our rooms, only to find our rooms basically abutted the all-night dance party next door – hurrah for ear plugs!
Sunday morning all that was forgotten as we headed out – me to Mali Rising’s teacher peer meeting several hours’ drive away and Tim to the wedding of a friend’s daughter in Bamako. I was excited to finally see a teacher peer meeting in action. We launched the peer support idea two years ago, with the help of our generous teacher sponsors. The idea was to find ways all year long for our teachers to help each other implement what they learn at our annual training.
At each peer meeting 8 to 10 teachers from 4 or 5 Mali Rising schools gather together. Two teachers agree to present a lesson to their peers as if their fellow teachers were the students. After presenting, the teachers gather feedback – good and bad – from their peers. It takes a strong teacher to volunteer to present for criticism!
At this meeting, we hosted 10 teachers – 5 French teachers and 5 science teachers. They came from our schools in Kafara, Fadioubougou, Beneko, Tamala, and Sequessona. Both of our volunteer presenters were from Fadioubougou’s EO Learn for Life Academy.
It was so heartening to watch our teachers in action. Despite their limited tools and support (many teachers are facing classes of 100 students with few textbooks and other materials), they were professional and passionate.
The French teacher, Amadou Traore presented first. As someone who was never great with grammar, I can say with certainty that Mr. Traore did an amazing job of making complex sentences and participles understandable! He had us working in groups, diagramming sentences, and making up our own sentences to prove we understood the concepts. Feedback from his peers was supportive, but also quite critical. He took the tough feedback with great grace.
I have to admit though that for me the science teacher – Souleymane Kone – stole the day. His lesson was about social insect communities, and specifically termites. He got our attention immediately because he brought part of a termite nest with him! Mr. Kone had us exploring their anatomy, experimenting to see if they bite (well, yes, if you poke them), and more. Although Mr. Kone received some tough feedback about the organization of his lesson, everyone agreed that his passion for the subject was infectious and that students would be hooked to the lesson.
The meeting ended with time for the teachers to share other issues or challenges they face and to discuss possible solutions. Although there are many challenges at rural schools in Mali, the teachers made it clear they would love more chances to learn together at peer meetings and additional teacher training. We also added the teachers to a WhatsApp group we are using to keep the teachers in contact with each other over the school year. Thank you to all the Mali Rising supporters who made this peer gathering possible!
Learn more about our Teacher Project.
Travel To Mali With Us...
Okay, I wish we could take you all with us but that isn’t practical. So the next best thing? Travel along with us virtually! As this blog post is published, I am winging my way to Mali to meet up with our great Mali staff for 2 weeks of school visits, celebrations, and learning…come along with us without leaving home!
Come to Mali With Us...Via Social Media
For the first several weeks of November, the Mali Rising's U.S. staff will head to Mali to spend time with our Mali staff and students. We'll visit 18 schools, catch up with Inspiration Scholars, visit potential new partner villages, and more. Along the way we'll see some sights and have some fun. We wish you could all come a long for the journey. Luckily, via social media you can actually kind of be there...
My Favorite Day
I want to take you all back to my favorite day on my trip to Mali. It was halfway through the week and we stopped in a small village for a meeting. I felt completely out of place among a large circle of people where I was undoubtedly the youngest one there, not to mention only one of two females. I remember digging my sneakers into the red sand to pass the time and eye-balling a few Malian students playing just a few yards away- dying to go say hello. I jumped at my first chance to sneak away from the meeting and cautiously approached two girls that curiously observed from afar.
Inspiration for Our Inspiration Intern
In which our Inspiration Intern for Spring Semester 2017 writes, "If I’m going to be Mali Rising Foundation’s Inspiration Intern, I should probably say something inspiring, right? If I’m going to say something inspiring, I should probably take you all back to 2013."
