Simidjila's Girls vs. Beneko's Birds: Girls Soccer!

We love gritty girls. Gritty, you say? Yes! Grit, leadership skills, teamwork abilities, and self-confidence are critical traits for strong kids. These traits are especially important for girls in Mali, who must overcome many obstacles to get the education they deserve. Thanks to our donors, we support the development of all these traits through participation with our new girls' soccer teams. Check out this blog post for news and photos from the first-ever, inter-school Mali Rising soccer match!

Mariam: Building Skills for the Future "...In Case I'm the Boss" Someday

When anyone strikes out on their own, it can be a scary time. For young women like Mariam, that fear is balanced out by the hope of something better.Mariam graduated from Mali Rising’s Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School back in 2013. She is now 22, and working her way through university.

Textbooks = A Dancing, Singing, Village-Wide Celebration

Wow. I get excited about a new book, but the village of Beneko REALLY gets excited. I mean – they literally throw a party!  Thanks to the generosity of Mike and Bonnie King and dozens of their friends, last week we delivered more than 1,000 textbooks to our middle school in the remote village of Beneko. See the party Beneko threw to welcome their new textbooks...

April is Alumni Month At Mali Rising!

April is Alumni Month here at Mali Rising. Each week in April, we feature a story from one of our graduates. With 14 years of work behind us, our graduates are now doing out great things out in the world. Whether they're using their education in college or a job, or to be more savvy in the market or to keep their children healthy, we're proud of our alumni.  This week we feature Abdou. Abdou Doumbia just might be Mali Rising’s first alumnus philosopher. Truly.

Your Donations In Action! Teacher Training Results

Thanks to dozens of teacher sponsors at the 2017 Soiree and some generous foundation support, Mali Rising's teachers are getting better all the time. And you know what that means? It means our STUDENTS are getting better all the time. And we can measure that improvement...

Can You Build a School With Your Feet? Here's How...

This May, people around the U.S. will take a walk – forty miles worth of a walk – with Miles for Mali. With each step, they’ll help a child in Mali improve their life through the power of education. Miles for Mali is a new virtual walking challenge, which allows participants to walk whenever it is convenient throughout the month of May. Funds raised will build a new school for the kids of Sankama, Mali!

This Month in the Field: Teacher Peer Meetings

This month we hosted one of our favorite small gatherings -- a teacher peer-to-peer meeting. Mali Rising Foundation invests in our teachers because they are investing in our students. Without good teachers, a school is just a building. Our most recent peer-to-peer meeting included 8 teachers from three of our schools. Learn more about how it went and check out some pictures of our teachers in action...