Post-Ebola Guinea: Educate & Empower The Youth

Our program in Conakry launched in summer 2017 and is continuing to serve 50 youth through our ongoing curriculum of dance classes and English classes along with a daily meal program. The students have been enrolled in MindLeaps program for over six months and have shown great increases in their skills measured by MindLeaps M&E system, Tracker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izNw35-PS_4).

To showcase their progress as well as push their confidence to even higher levels, MindLeaps initiates performance opportunities for our students so they can demonstrate what they have learned and become comfortable dancing and speaking to a public audience. Last week, MindLeaps students were invited to perform at an international festival at L’Ecole Americaine in Conakry. The students performed dance choreography (as well as some exciting acrobatics!) to a large audience. You can see photos of the performance below and a video online here: https://vimeo.com/260092920 

In addition, the staff of MindLeaps Guinea have also had the opportunity to grow their skills through being an integral part of MindLeaps’ expansion across the continent of Africa. Two of our leading dance instructors from our program in Guinea have flown to Kampala, Uganda, to build out MindLeaps' expansion in East Africa. MindLeaps is working with local Uganda NGO Rockies Organization through our “Train The Trainers” program. Salifou Camara and Ibrahima Camara of MindLeaps Guinea, along with International Coordinator Eugene Dushime and International Teacher Ssali Eugene, are training the top youth in the Rockies Organization to become teachers of MindLeaps’ dance curriculum. These teachers are now working with Uganda NGOs Save Street Children Uganda, Refuge & Hope, and M-LISADA to teach our curriculum to their vulnerable youth beneficiaries.