By Fatoumata Kone, Operations Coordinator

Mali Rising has been in the business of building schools for 20 years, so some of those schools are getting quite old. This means that sometimes the school buildings need a little love to make sure they stay safe places for children. This year I coordinated that love for Ben Dixon Elementary School, built in 2010.

Ben Dixon Elementary is located in the little village of Manabougou. The village is about an hour down a dusty, red dirt road on the way to another of our schools. It is one of only two elementary schools in our network, home to hundreds of small children in 1st through 6th grade

The school was in real need of repairs to its classrooms and its principal office. Generally, the village is responsible for maintenance, but for big repairs we step in when the cost goes beyond what the village can afford. In these cases, we donate 80% of the cost and the village brings 20% of the cost to the table. Through this partnership, we repaired cracked walls and crumbling corners, removed ceiling tiles that were providing a home to bats (and their guano!), and replastered and painted the classrooms.

The repairs were carried out during the Easter break, so as not to disrupt the children's lessons. The contractor repaired the school in a week, with impeccable workmanship. When the children returned from their break, they were delighted to find their school much cleaner and prettier. The pupils told me that they were very happy with their classrooms and that the bats don't bother them anymore.

The management committee, the principal and the teachers were all delighted with the repairs. The principal said that before the repairs, if it started raining they were afraid to have the students inside but now their safety is guaranteed. Now, the students will be able to study in the best possible conditions.

This is an example of one of the things that makes Mali Rising different — our long-term commitment to our partnerships. We work with villages to make sure each school has what it needs to help students succeed….for decades. We look forward to at least 14 more years working with the students at Ben Dixon Elementary School!