inspiration

Scholarship Student Makes Agriculture a Career

By Fatoumata Kone, Operations Coordinator

Students may sometimes question why they should stick with school…why do they need math or science ? We work hard to help our students connect their education to their dreams for the future…whatever those dreams are ! I want to share the story of one of our graduates – and Inspiration Schoalrship reciepient – who has a passion for agriculture and livestock farming.

Here is his story in his own words :

“ My name is Chieck Oumar Samake and I'm from a village called Zambougou. I graduated from Mali Rising’s Denik Middle School in Zambougou. After graduation, I enrolled at the Djitoumou Agro-pastoral school in Ouélessebougou and I'm in my 4th year. I was lucky enough to benefit from a Mali Rising Inspiration Scholarship to fund these studies.

Chiiek literally overseeing his young chickens at his internship during this, his last year of an agricultural program as a Mali Rising Inspiration Scholar.

Before graduating, I had some difficulties. At the time Zambougou didn't have a middle school, so I went to [the bigger town of] Ouélessebougou to continue my studies. Unfortuntaely  I couldn't find accommodation and I didn't have the financial means, nor did my parents, to continue my studies.

Then Mali Rising Foundation built Denik Middle School in Zambougou, so I went back to Zambougou to do middle school.  After graduation, I got the scholarship from Mali Rising too ! This scholarship helped me a lot, and with this money I was able to study in the best possible conditions.

The agro-pastoral school was my dream since I was in middle school.  I've always been passionate about livestock and agriculture in general, and I love this profession.

At school we do both theory and practic. We practiced raising broiler chickens three times in our school and we succeeded. This was our first experience.

Right now I'm doing an internship on a big farm in Kita, where I'm raising laying chickens. Every morning I wake up very early to take care of the hens, then I give them food and water. I also monitor their vaccinations from day 1 to day 29. From day 1 I give them a live vaccine, after day 5 I give them an injectable vaccine, and from days 7, 14, 17 and 29 I give them a live vaccine which I put in the water and give them to drink. Laying hens live 18 months, but around 4 months they start laying eggs. Raising laying hens is a profitable business for farmers. Eggs produced by laying hens are in great demand on the local and regional markets.

When I go to visit my village, I'm the one who injects their animals - cows, sheep and chickens. After my studies, I'd like to become a great livestock breeder in Mali, and if I succeed, I'll build a big farm in my village, build roads and renovate the soccer pitch.”

We are so proud of Chieck’s hard work in school and feel confident he will achieve his vision for the future. Livestock farming is a key driver of sustainable agricultural development, contributing to food security, nutrition, poverty reduction and economic growth. In this way Chieck’s dream will improve his life but also improve life for so many Malians !

Alumni Network Educates Students on Malaria

Many of our schools are now old enough that they have graduated hundreds, or even thousands, of students. So, recently we began organizing school Alumni Networks with a goal of helping the graduates help their schools grow and thrive. We have found that the alumni are more than eager to help! This month, we helped one Alumni Network address a big problem — malaria.

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Creativity + Business Acumen = Bright Future

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Creating and wearing beautiful clothes is a passion that crosses the boundaries of every country. No matter where you go, you’ll find people who turn clothing into an art form with their sewing skill. Mali Rising Foundation alum Djeneba Samake is one such young woman with a passion for sewing that, with te help of Mali Rising’s donors, she is now turning into a career.

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A Future Nurse, Thanks to Our Supporters

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It is sad to see here in Mali, but all to often early (or even child) marriage prevents many girls from continuing their education. However, times are changing in Mali. Some families wait longer for marriage, and even when marriage does occur it doesn’t always have to mean that a young women’s education is over. An example of this change comes from Salimata Sissao, a Mali Rising alumni. Here is her story in her own words…

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Sewing for a Better Future

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Clothing has always had an important place in our society and in our African communities. Through textiles, we tell a story and we highlight the culture of a country. For the young women we work with in Mali, creating clothing can also be a path to an independent future! How is that possible you ask ? For young women (and men too !) become a tailor is a respectable job in Mali and it allows you to be your own boss. This makes it an attractive dream for many of our students. Bana is one such student.

Career Day is a Big Hit

Our students study hard because they want to build a better life for themselves and for their families. But all too often, we find that students have no idea what career options an education makes available to them or how they can pursue those careers. That’s where our new Career Adventures Project comes in. This project provides year-long career advice for students in our schools, including a Career Day to allow students to really explore careers in-depth.

Mali Rising Graduate Heads to University

Just like young people here in the U.S., Mali Rising students have big dreams for their future. I recently met a Mali Rising alumni – Moussa Doumbia -- with a very specific dream and he is well on his way to making it real. He is reaching for the stars, with a vision of becoming a diplomat in Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Tenetie Lights Up a New Career

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Tenetie Sinayogo, an alumni of Denik Middle School in Zambougou, is a Mali Rising Inspiration Scholar. What does that mean for him? It means that thanks to our donors Tenetie is continuing his education and is already earning money to build a better life.

Alumni Network Makes A School Shine

By Ousmane Coulibaly, Operations Coordinator

On a Friday this November, the Alumni Network of Seguessona’s Jade & Gabe Mellor Middle School organized a maintenance day at their school. This network is made up of young men and women who graduated from the school. While some of them are already working in companies and organizations, others are still in high school and in vocational schools and universities.

With the support of Mali Rising Foundation, more than thirty former highly motivated students, h came to school with brooms, wheelbarrows rakes, soap and other small materials. In addition, some former student volunteers rented a wheelbarrow, bought buckets, and also rented a three-wheeled motorcycle as support equipment during the cleanup day. Some volunteer students from 7th, 8th and 9th grades also came to join the elders to help them clean up the school.

Proud and happy Alumni Network volunteers take a break from making their school shine!

They were well organized in different groups. While the girls and women swept with brooms, the men carried the trash away with wheelbarrows. Together they managed to sweep the whole schoolyard, the inside of the classrooms and they also cleaned all the latrines.

They then chased away all the birds that were in the principal's office. The principal's office was in bad shape because of the birds' nests and poop. The Principal of the school, Mr. Bakary Koné, was also present and was very satisfied with the work done by the alumni.

Principal Koné said, "I am very happy and satisfied with this work. These young people cleaned the school very well today. They also washed my office, and all the latrines. Otherwise, the latrines in the school were unusable. Nobody liked to use them because of the waste. But now all the latrines are operational. Also, they managed to chase away all the birds and clean their poop.”

This Alumni Network is one of two Networks Mali Rising has launched this year to test the idea. Our hope is that the alumni groups can grow and take concrete actions such as inspiring students to stay in school or maintaining their school in the future for themselves. If these first two Networks are successful, we hope to grow the idea to other schools.

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