When conflict forced her family to flee their home, 17-year-old Mariam Poudiougou had no time to gather belongings or say goodbye to the life she knew. One night, armed groups attacked her village, and Mariam, and her family fled, traveling on foot for nearly three hours. Her mother was pregnant. The sound of gunfire echoed behind them. They reached safety only because they escaped before the rebels arrived.
Those moments changed everything.
The village they left behind was too dangerous to return to. For Mariam, the journey didn’t end with the escape. The memory of the fear, the chaos, and the violence that she had witnessed followed her.
Her family resettled in Sankama, a quieter village in southern Mali where they hoped to start again. Mariam enrolled at Judge Memorial Middle School, but adjusting to her new life was difficult. At first, she kept to herself; quiet, withdrawn, and unsure how to connect with others in her class. She had seen things no child should ever have to see, and the weight of that grief showed in her silence.
Mariam’s pathway back to connection began through the Girls’ Project, where students learn together, share openly, and support one another through challenges. During group activities like charades, small discussions, and collaborative exercises, Mariam slowly began to open up. As the girls welcomed her, she laughed more. She participated. She re-entered the world of friendship. With time, and with support, she rediscovered something that conflict had stolen from her: a belief in her own future.
“I am very happy to have found [Mali Rising].” she shared, “They help me plan for my future and forget what I have been through, because all I could think about was dead bodies and gunshots. Now, I would like to become a doctor or psychologist to treat people wounded in the war.”
Mali Rising helped Mariam to imagine a tomorrow without war or fear. Her story is not just about survival, it’s about rebuilding, reclaiming joy, and choosing hope in the wake of loss.
And she is only at the beginning.
