" 2 weeks for the first time in Mali. Back home with a head full of memories and impressions from contact with this population made up of different ethnies living together.
In the souk of Bamako, a magnificent chess game, sculpted by Tuareg craftsmen holds all my attention ... On my return, this Tuareg salesman named Allassane, asks me
for help to educate the children of his native village which is in
the Sahelian zone, bordering the Sahara, close to the Dogon
country and 7 km from Douentza.
In the autumn Allassane contacts me by phone
to tell me again about his concern about the schooling of the
children in his village.
There is no school less than 7 km from Douentza, 35 children of
school age but no means of transport or possibility of financing
school supplies.
In the emergency, we decide, with a friend, to finance the
supplies."
Maya
The parents are mobilising to build the school with the means at
hand.
Millet stalks for the walls and roof, tree trunks as benches.
Before the start of the school year, 2 donkeys are purchased as
well as a cart equipped with a 50-litre metal barrel to ensure the
school's water supply.
A vegetable garden is created in Douentza to ensure
the supply of fresh vegetables for the school canteen.
2 villagers are responsible for filling up the water supply in
Douentza, growing and harvesting the vegetables to bring them back
to the canteen lady so that she can prepare the meals for the 35
children with the full water supply.
The school opens with 1 teacher and 35 pupils.
Sponsorships are in place for 4 children (3 girls and 1 boy) who are older and attend public school in Douentza.
March 2012: Military Putsch, overthrow of the head of state and his government.
The makeshift school is damaged by bad weather and the villagers
are once again mobilising to rebuild with the same materials.
The need is felt to build a permanent school to better protect the
pupils from sandstorms, sun and rain.
3 school levels are now provided by 2 Malian teachers.
Since the liberation of Mali by the French and Malian armies, NGOs
have been able to step back in the area, including Douentza.
Our association is financing the construction of a food storage in
Tangou for the food which is distributed by the World
Food Programme (WFP).
Oneof Allassane's former school teacher, informed of the work he is
doing with the support of our organisation, tells him about the
arrival of NGOs financing the construction of schools and wells.
Allassane puts together a file, reinforced by a government
certificate, in order to obtain the masonry rebuilding of the
school, as well as the drilling of a well.
The file is accepted and a project for an enclosed vegetable garden
is included.
The foundation stone of our school is laid in the presence of the
local authorities.
Plan
Mali and World
Vision finance :
Two teachers and a trainee teach there.
A teacher from Bamako is sent to Tangou during the summer to give
remedial classes for the new programmes.
November 2015
The construction site is finished and the first photos are coming
in.
Several exhibitions-sales of photos and paintings are taking place
in different villages around Villecroze, France, thanks to the
donations of several artists.
With the theme "AMAN IMAN - L'EAU C'EST LA VIE - WATER IS LIFE",
these exhibitions generate profits that help co-finance a well in
Tangou in partnership with an American church.
November 2016 : the well and a water tower are
built.
The local authorities are financing the pump powered by solar panels.
At the moment, we are continuing our efforts to ensure: