Just 10 days remain for participants in our Miles to Mali challenge! So far, walkers have covered 1,223 miles and raised more than $1,600 to raise funds for our next school. Why do they do it? To help girls like those our staff meet up with on the road to school last week. We found two groups of girls making their way from the small hamlet of Zela to the village of Beneko, home to our Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School. Each day, the girls traverse more than 4 miles each way with the goal of improving their lives at school.
Walking & Thinking With Miles for Mali
By Merritt Frey, Executive Director
This month as part of our Miles for Mali campaign, I’ve pledged to walk (and run) 160 miles. Miles for Mali is using this virtual walking event to raise funds to build a school for the children of the little village of Sankama in southern Mali.
Long walks to school are a challenge for Mali's kids, but that doesn't mean there isn't some fun to be had on the road.
I’m pretty active (and I have a young border collie to keep me motivated), so the actual distance hasn’t been too much of a challenge thus far. I think my body actually really likes walking, so physically it has been all positive. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally drop those 5 pounds I gained when I took this job!
But timewise fitting in the distance has been more of a challenge. Squeezing in time in a busy day for a good walk is an on-going pressure. I’ve used Miles for Mali to motivate me to get out of bed on a Saturday and go for a good hike or to take an evening stroll with the dogs instead of zoning out with Netflix.
Those are small life adjustments, but it has really made me think about the reality for our students in Mali, who have to find the time to do these walks every school day, all school year long.
On average, before Mali Rising builds a school with a partner village, the nearest school is 3 to 5 miles away on average – making for a 6 to 10 mile round-trip each day. And to fit that in around a school day that runs from 8am to 5pm, extensive chores at home, and finding a bit of time to actually do homework…well, you can see where students struggle.
Building a school for the kids of Sankama will make their commute easy so they can focus their time on learning, and on being a kid. Currently, about 90 percent of students in Sankama drop out after elementary school because they just can’t do the long walk to the nearest middle school.
Want to help? Support a school for Sankama! You can donate here or support one of our great Miles for Mali walkers here.
Walk With Me...Miles for Mali
Starting one week from today, I've got a lot of ground to cover. Literally. As part of Mali Rising's Miles for Mali walking challenge, I've pledged to walk 160 miles in May. Gulp. Why?
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!
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Wow! Our Generous Supporters Made This A GREAT School Year!
Auction for Action at Thursday's Soiree
We've all done it -- got carried away at a charity auction and come home with a strange trinket we can't fit anywhere in our house or a gift certificate for an adventure we can't imagine ever taking. We shrug and tell ourselves the funds went to a good cause. So why not just directly decide where those funds will go and spare yourself donating the dusty trinket to the thrift store two years later. That's the concept behind the Auction for Action at Mali Rising's Soiree this Thursday.
Tired Of The Same Old Galas? Come to the Soiree!
If you're like me, you get invited to a lot of nonprofit "galas" and you've reached the point of finding it hard to rally for them, however good the cause. In case you're in that place, let me tell you why the October 12 Soiree will be a different kettle of fish altogether -- a fun kettle of fish...if that's possible.
You Won't Be Able To Resist The Beat
We are gearing up here for our big Soiree on October 12. It is a chance to hear about the successes you've supported in the last year and what great things are coming in the next year.But this year that isn't all you'll hear! We are excited to have three drummers joining us to share the joy and beauty of West African drumming -- Deja Mitchell, Sekou Soumah, and Hakim Muhammed.
