Give a Home to 100 Vulnerable Toddlers in Mali

ACFA ended 2021 on a very good note with lots to success to build up on in the coming year.

Our CEO Kadiatou Sidibe visited Mali in Oct 2021 to observe progress made at both Zorokoro and Badalabougou.  She visited existing partners as well as potential new partners.  She hosted the USAID team of Bamako at Badalabougou during a site visit.  At Zorokoro, construction of the second school building has now been completed. We’ve opened our second kindergarten class and academic year 2021-2022 is well underway with students from both ACFA and children from the surrounding villages.  Additionally, at our complex, we’ve welcomed 4 new children who previously lacked access to a safe shelter, food, health care and education.  They are adjusting well to their new environment. 

The older children continue to excel in sports.  In October, Diakassan participated in the Mali Fencing Open and received a silver medal.  Additionally, she won the 2021 Mali Championship, marking the 3^rd year in a row that she holds this medal.  Additionally, one of our girls, Kadiatou, has been accepted in the Mali Junior National Taekwondo Team.

School has started for the older children as well.  Our newest high school students have been dispatched to their new schools and are adjusting well.  This year we have 4 candidates for the national high school entrance exam, DEF, while we have 7 who have passed the DEF and are already in high school.  We completed the introduction to computer coding classes taught by a high school student volunteer from California, and the algebra classes taught by another California high school student continues for our older children.  Both classes have benefitted from translation and interpreting by a French high school student volunteer.

In vocational training, Koro benefited from a rotary club scholarship to attend sewing training.  This has proved to be not just a great opportunity for her to learn this valuable skill, but also a major morale booster: she’s now well motivated to take the DEF next year.  Seeing her progress is rejuvenating.    

We started the procurement of our library and computer lab materials in November.  We’ve also partnered with Books For Africa and will be receiving a donation of 20,000 books for our library.  The logistics of all these matters are underway and we anticipate opening our library by mid 2022.  A group of volunteers, to include ACFA’s education expert, Alexandra Laurent from France, and several ACFA board members will then be visiting ACFA’s operations with the CEO in Bamako. 

October marks the solidarity month in Mali.  To that end, ACFA received in-kind donations from Orange and Malitel Foundations, Ourydia Association, as well as individual donors. These donations consisted of food, and school supplies.  Foundation Malidons of Canada also donated clothes to ACFA in November.  Finally, in December 2021, ACFA was the beneficiary of a donation from Toys For Tots, an initiative of the Marines stationed at the US Embassy in Bamako.

Kickoff Solution continues its support to ACFA’s girls through leadership development and sport involvement.  One of our girls, Bassan, was featured in Kickoff Solutions’ annual gala fundraiser at the end of 2021.  

ACFA’s CPA visited ACFA’s operations in December 2021.  This was an eye-opening event as he was able to experience and see first-hand the operations that he’s been auditing for the past numerous years.  

Please consider donating to ACFA today to help us take the organization to the next level and support more vulnerable children in Mali.  

Thank you for your generous and continued to support ACFA!

Links:

• Our website

The past 3 months marked the end of the academic year in Mali. Both of our locations (the older children in Bamako, and the younger children in Zorokoro) had several events to support this. Three of our girls took the DEF (entry to high school national exam) this year, and 2 of our boys took the Baccalaureat (exit from high school national exam): we are waiting for the results. At the Zorokoro Children’s Complex, we celebrated the end of the academic year and the end of our first year of operation of our school with a party where parents and other constituents were invited. The children had lots of fun during the different activities that were organized and even conducted their own art performances. Now all the children are enjoying a very deserved break before school starts in October. Our long-distance learning programs have improved this cycle with the addition of introduction to computer coding and algebra classes for the older children, and dance classes for the younger ones. All the children are fully engaged and have learned a lot from these different opportunities offered to them by high school volunteers from California, and assistance from a high school student in France who has been the translator for the classes. In July, ACFA children celebrated Eid AL Adha, the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and commemoration of the sacrifice of Abraham. Like other Mali schools, there was a celebration at the school and a short break to allow students to spend the holidays with their families, which non ACFA children did. The children all received new clothes, shoes, and gifts before being sent off for the break. We received in-kind donations in the form of food, clothes, and orange trees to be planted at Zorokoro. We are pleased to announce that after 2 years of partnership with ACFA, the Perna Rose Foundation for Hope increased their financial support to ACFA by 34%. Finally, construction continues at the Zorokoro Children’s Complex for the classrooms. The well-being of Mali’s vulnerable children remains our priority. To enhance our programs for them, we need your continued support. Please consider donating today, it will literally change the lives of multiple children who have no hope other than ACFA’s programs. Thank you to all who so generously continue to support us!

Links:

• Our website