For our volunteer spotlight this month, we travel to Mali… virtually. Through email, I interviewed Fatoumata who does volunteer work in the villages where Mali Rising operates.
Mariam Dreams of Being an Eye Doctor
By Hindaty Traore, Girls Project Coordinator
Hindaty had a chance to talk with one of our Girls Project participants and recorded her thoughts in her own words. Mariam attends Mali Rising’s Tim Gibson Middle School in the village of Sebela. This school just began participating in the Girls Project in the 19/20 school year. Here’s what Mariam had to say:
I am called Mariam Sangaré. I am 14 years old. I am from a village (Massakoni), 2 km away from our school in Sebela. I wake up at 6 am to do my household work then I go to school. I leave my village, Massakoni, at 7:00 am and arrive at school at 7:45 am in Sebela.
Before the middle school in Sebela was builit our older brothers and sisters walked 4 kilometres to go to Kokoun, where there was a middle school. When I graduated from the primary school to the 7th grade, we had an informal middle school in Sebela but it was built in mud and the roof was made with straw. We had to clean the classrooms every day because the donkeys spent the night in them. When it rained, we had to leave the school for home because the roof of straw would leak terrible. Sometimes there were snakes in our classroom! Today, thanks to the very beautiful classrooms built by Mali Rising, we can study in the best conditions near our own village.
I like science subjects like math, biology, physics, chemistry, and English too. History and geography are very difficult for me and they are hard to memorize. I like science because I would like to be an eye doctor. Many people have eye problems and the eyes have a very important role in one's life, so I think this would be a good and important career.
As soon as I can afford it, I will build schools and health centers for my village because thanks to the school I was able to study and it made me able to become a doctor.
I am just a little bit concerned because this year has not been a successful one due to the teachers' strike and the outbreak of COVID-19. Otherwise I have had good grades at the beginning.
Learn more about Tim Gibson Middle School. Learn more about the Girls Project.
Missing School in the Time of COVID-19
Ousmane Samaké is a 7th grader in The Mindful Bunch Middle school in the village of Kafara. He is 15 years old and says he misses his classmates so much. Ousmane has not been in school for months because of teacher’s strike in Mali followed by the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the whole world. Read more about Ousmane…
What Soccer Means For One Girl
As part of our successful Girls Project, Mali Rising sets up girls soccer teams and coordinates competitions between schools. Sports participation has been shown to increase enrollment and retention in school, which are both key goals of the Girls Project. In addition, soccer is just plain fun and helps our girls build their leadership and team skills! In this blog post, a girl from Kolimba’s team shares her experiences from a soccer game against the girls of Sebela. This match was held earlier this year, before COVID-19 shut down schools and group events like soccer matches. Fatoumata Doumbia is 15 years old and in 8th grade in Nièta Kalanso Middle School in Kolimba. She talks about their experience related to their soccer game in with girls from Tim Gibson Middle School in Sebela….
Avoiding the COVID-19 Slide?
Here in the U.S., parents and teachers often worry about the “summer slide” — a dip in students’ academic skills caused by summertime disengagement from learning. In Mali this year, we are triple-y concerned about a slide — students missed months of school from a teacher strike followed by a several month closure for COVID-19, followed by summer break. What to do to help kids stay connected to learning!? Given the reality that our students have no books in their homes and absolutely no access to online learning, we are going old school!
Better Late Than Never -- Back to School for 9th Grade
Sebela is a small but prosperous village outside of Bamako and it is home to Tim Gibson Middle School. Just like anywhere in Mali, the people of Sebela have been very concerned about their children’s future because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of the virus in Mali in mid-March, the school has been closed. Many students were worried about the school year and were almost hopeless. Recently, the government decided to reopen school only for students in the 9th grade, so that these students can prepare for their graduation exams this summer. The schools re-opened on June 2. Mamadou Sidibe is one of those students who are thrilled to be back in school for a few months. He thinks it is late in the year, but students need to learn all the time no matter when. So better late than never! Mamadou is determined to hit his goal for the year, which is to pass his DEF (national exam).
One Teacher’s Take On Preventing COVID-19 In Kassela
Get to know Adama, Teacher Project Coordinator
Our staff in Mali do all the hard and interesting work that our supporters make possible. They work hard — traveling rough roads, dealing with the heat, and breathing in the dust of Mali’s countryside. But they do it with grace and with a sense of purpose that comes from knowing they are helping kids just like themselves have a chance at an education. We want you to get to know these great people a bit better, so we took a recent chance to interview Adama Kone, our Teacher Project Coordinator. Please enjoy this video blog to learn more about his work with our teachers, what he's doing to fight COVID-19, and how popular Frisbee is in Mali (hint: not very).
Walking Barefoot to Be Part of the Girls Project
In the Girls Project, we host Girls Group meetings twice a month with our girls. The meetings are very beneficial and fulfilling for the girls. It is a way for the girls to learn many things different from what they are used to learning in class, for example the girls discuss their menstrual cycle, hear talks from career women, or develop their leadership skills. The girls love these meetings! As an example, here is a story from one of our Girls Project participants about the lengths she will go to attend the Girls Group meetings…
