Our Work In Mali

Mali is the largest land-locked country in the Sahel region of West Africa, and it is one of the poorest
countries in the world with an average annual GDP per capita of about $660 in 2012 (World Bank, 2014).

The overall percentage of individuals deciding to return to education over the years has significantly dropped.

During a group’s visit to Sikasso in Mali in 2010, one member of the group sent her niece to a primary
school. Like other students she had to walk many miles to get to the nearest school. While in class her
ability to speak fluent French (which is the official academic language) made a positive impression on her
classmates. In fact, her classmates couldn’t express themselves fluently in French because the teacher
teaches them in their dialect. Therefore, two (2) of her classmates asked her to teach them, French. She
replied that her uncle had taught her... therefore the girls decided to walk with her to meet her uncle and
ask for help, which he agreed to do so. The girls found that the teaching was good and decided to bring
more friends. One after another one, the uncle ended up having more than 50 children coming to his house
to receive an education. For many, this teaching was their only way of receiving an education. Therefore to
maximize the children learning process, we decided to divide the children into 2 groups from ages 2-9
years old and 10 to 16 years old and we provided them two (2) sessions per week.

Seeing the increase need for education, we decided to help more and provide quality education to children living in
villages around Sikasso, including Zandjougoula, kozansso-dioula, and Zanadougou.
During the courses, those who follow and correctly answer the questions receive cookies and candy. At the
end of the course, all those who are present receive cookies and candy to encourage their greater participation.
After the course, the students take a comprehensive exam and receive rewards including school supplies,
monthly financial support of $2 according to their merits and needs. The teachings have different format
including teaching in form of sketch, story, and songs and all groups are rewarded according to their merit.
When the children come home with these small gifts, the parents do not complain and allow their children
to attend our teaching sessions. Moreover, the lack of interest from their parents creates a growing interest
in them to attend our teaching sessions where we demonstrate attention to them, make them feel valuable,
which in turns gives them hope to a brighter future.