Fourteen year-old Salif was a seventh grader at Ross and Marilou Moser Middle School in the 2014/2015 school year in rural Nienguenkoro. Salif may look small, but he has big plans. How big? As big as the Presidency.

Salif is a normal teenager in many ways – he loves football but isn't too crazy about chores like searching for firewood. He excels at biology but doesn't like French class. At home, Salif has three brothers and a sister.

However, this normal teenager has a not-so-normal plan. Salif reports that he dreams of attending university with an eye on a big prize – becoming President of the Republic of Mali.

Because of Moser Middle School, Salif is already ahead of many of his peers. In Mali, only 36 percent of boys are able to attend secondary school. (The numbers are even worse for girls, with only 24 percent of girls benefiting from secondary education.) While there are many obstacles to school attendance, one fundamental challenge for rural village children like Salif is access – secondary schools are often simply too far away for students to walk or bike to.

For Salif, Moser Middle School means he can get one step closer to his dream of becoming Mali's President. Moser Middle School was built by Mali Rising Foundation in 2009 through a generous donation from Ross and Marilou Moser. The school is located in the small village of Nienguenkoro. Each year, approximately 100 students like Salif receive life-changing education as a result of the Moser family's kind gift. You can make a difference too.

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