At a recent peer meeting we had the chance to talk with two teachers from one of our newer school – Christiana Norris Middle School in the village of Banko. Teachers are what make a school a life-changing place, so great teachers are key to our students’ futures. Get to know two of Banko’s teachers just a little bit through these mini-profiles from our chat.
Mrs. Kone: A Mother Making a Difference for Girls
n Mali as in other African countries, historically few women went to school. Instead, many women were married at an early age and men did not consider women them when making certain core decisions in the society. But today this trend is changing in many regions of Mali and elsewhere. For our work at Mali Rising, we see this change happening in our school committees — the group of local people in charge of managing each school in Mali. I recently met a woman who exemplifies this change — Aicha Kone. Ms. Kone is a female leader who joined the school management committee of the Neways Academy in the village of Touban to champion the cause of girls.
Great Teachers Make Great Schools
Mali’s teachers face many unique challenges, such as class sizes of more than 100 students and a lack of textbooks. But one challenge they face is one that any teacher around the world would recognize – how to engage their students and encourage questions and discussion. At a recent Mali Rising Teacher Training, we tackled this exact problem and inspired one young teacher -- Benzamé Sanou – to return to his classroom with new ideas and new energy.
Teachers Helping Teachers
Aminata Becomes a Clean Hands Expert!
The Little Heroes Academy I Middle School of Mana has more than one hundred students. The school has many challenges to address. One of the main challenges is how to keep kids healthy and be able to attend school. Mali Rising is doing our small part to help with that challenge, by providing hygiene education classes. One student, Aminata, really took the lesson to heart!
Healthy Kids Are Good Students
In order to succeed in school, you need to be in the classroom. And in order to be in the classroom, you need to be healthy. That’s where Mali Rising’s regular handwashing trainings come in — helping students stay healthy and in school learning. Read about one of our recent trainings and how poop jokes play in to it…
Handwashing Trainings Keep Students Healthy
Keeping students healthy is tremendously challenging at schools in Mali because of the lack of running water and a lack of hygiene education. Mali Rising has a small Health Project which focuses on providing basic tools and handwashing education to address one of the simplest health solutions – good hand hygiene!
Educating Boys About Educating Girls
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
Because female students in Mali face special barriers, we have a robust Girls’ Project to help support their special needs. But research shows improving girls’ access to education takes action from the whole community…not just the girls. So, part of our Girls’ Project work focuses on engaging boys from our partner schools in discussion about gender issues and how they can actively support their fellow students who happen to be girls.
This work focuses largely on peer meetings where boys gather for facilitated discussions about human rights, girls’ education, and their role in knocking down obstacles for girls. The meetings are lively, with boys actively debating big ideas and sharing their ideas for building a more equal world.
In November, we hosted these discussions in three of our partner villages — Diorila, Sebela, and Zambougou. In each case, 40 to 60 boys came out to learn and share their own thoughts. Adama Kone, the Mali Rising staff person who leads these discussions, noted how much fun was had…and it wasn’t only because cake was provided!
“These young men can be allies for girls in their classroom today, and in the future they can speak up for women in their families and in Mali as a whole. In Mali, change starts with discussion and debate among the community, and these boys really engaged,” said Adama.
A Little Reward Goes a Long Way
Encouraging and recognizing good work done is an effective way to develop a taste for learning. Indeed, reward is an extrinsic motivator that prompts the student to improve certain behaviors, providing conditions that facilitate their motivation and learning.
It is in this context that the Girls’ Project gave gifts to 15 most outstanding girl students from last school year in the five villages of Girls’ Project -- Zambougou, Sebela, Dorila, Tamala and N'Tentou. This was done both to reward the girls for their hard work and to create competition among all the girls to study hard.
A New Teacher Finds Inspiration With His Peers
In the remote areas where Mali Rising’s schools are located, teachers often get together to chat and gather to drink tea. Teaching requires a deeply dedicated person, so it makes sense that teachers always try to improve themselves through reading textbooks, travelling, and discussing techniques with their peers. Building on this cultural idea, Mali Rising regularly hosts Teacher Peer Meetings where we gather 5 to 6 teachers from different Mali Rising schools. The goals are to help our teachers improve their teaching skills and to connect them with peers who can help support them throughout the tough school year.
