By Aiche Danioko (YES 2017 – 2018, Mali, hosted by Greenheart in Lake Stevens, WA)

February is Black History Month, so the Malian YES Alumni Association, along with volunteers from Malidenya and IFE Mali, decided to organize an activity in the honor of this special and important month. We decided to go to Nianfala, a small village about an hour from Bamako, the capital. Nianfala is a village that the YES alumni had already been to, back in 2016. We chose Nianfala because it would be a great opportunity to see the progress in the infrastructures of the village since our last visit. It’s a rather poor village that has about 200 inhabitants. We also learned that in Nianfala resided an elderly man that had been drafted and fought in WWII, back when Mali was still a French colony.

Early in the morning, we alumni left Bamako for Nianfala. Upon arrival, children gathered around the bus to welcome us. We were taken to the village chief, for whom we’d brought cola nuts, a symbol of respect in Malian culture. Then, a guide took us to the school, that did not exist back in 2016. The school had classes up to 7^th grade only. Afterwards, students were obliged to go to the adjacent village of Sanankoroba, about six kilometers away.  Many are forced to drop out then, because of the distance of the school. We were then taken to the local hospital. It was a major improvement, since before it was built, villagers were forced to go to Sanankoroba, and emergencies would often prove fatal. We met the only nurse, that told us about the lack of medicine and how she was often overwhelmed, because she was the only trained health professional.

Afterwards, we were taken to the second-oldest man in the village. He was a World War II veteran that had been drafted. He also told us multiple stories of the colonial times. He told us about the hardships faced by many Malians during and after the struggle for independence, 59 years ago. His stories gave us a greater understanding of the history of our country.

Over a meal, the villagers told us about the problems they had regarding the school. Many families had difficulties paying the school fee of 700 CFA (1.25$). This led us to come up with an idea of organizing a fundraiser for the villagers. With the money, they’d be able to better the school by increasing the size of the classroom and increasing the attendance rate of girls and possibly afford a 7^th grade teacher.

Check out the video they made documenting their site visit.