Education Niger Project #6111

Help 80 Secondary Pupils in Niger Read and Write

by Les amis de Hampate Ba

Project Report | Jun 17, 2016
From Garbage to Goods

By Homa Kombo | Field Coordinator

Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey (Niger) has found an extraordinary way to make the best of waste : a way to nurture both the students and the environment!

Opposite the school, there is a food market. Waste from that market gets dumped on a street not far from the school. Seeing the heap of garbage each morning on his way to school, Mr. Cyrille Agbodaze, the French teacher, came up with an idea: organize an end of year exhibition called « From Garbage to Goods ».

He asked students to take discarded objects, transform them, bring them to school for the end of the year show and talk about them, thus improving their French vocabulary of mundane objects.

“Many of my students are weak in French and have limited opportunities and resources, but they all have unlimited creativity. That heap of waste allowed me to tap into their creativity,” says a very proud Mr Agbodaze.

The “From Garbage to Goods” exhibition took place beginning June on the school grounds and it was a total success. Students were able to showcase their talents and creations. Aminatou, for example, presented her embroidery. And Ibrahim, Mahamadou, and Taleb-Sidi their wheelbarrow, car and humidifier.

The four main goals of the exhibition were the following:

Sensitize students to environmental issues
Promote activities other than academic
Instill an entrepreneurial mindset in students
Improve their oral skills in French

The school authorities believe that those objectives were achieved. This is what the happy and proud participants had to say.

Maybe in a near future, I’ll be able to generate an income and support my family by building and selling humidifiers. (Taleb-Sidi, 9^th grade)

I really enjoyed taking part in this exhibition. When my mother and my sisters clean the house, they come across old things that are no longer of any use. Instead of plunking them out, they give them to me and I try to re-utilize them in a new way. (Mohamed, 7^th grade)

I love the idea of converting waste and chuckable items into useful products. I very much enjoy working with metal.You can shape it and, with little effort, a simple piece of metal can become something else. Look at my wheelbarrow! (Ibrahim, 7^th grade)

Sewing is one of my favourite pastimes. Perhaps with some help I could turn my pastime into a business, a huge big business! (Aminatou, 7th grade)

I got the idea of making a car by watching cars go by. This is the first time I have fabricated a car. My French teacher, Monsieur Cyrille, organized this exhibition and I hope that next time he’ll organize a competition because I’d like to win a prize! (Mahamadou, 6^th grade)

“From Garbage to Goods” has even given ideas to the school manager. “Next academic year, the students could build a playground with discarded materials such as pallets, tires, garbage bags and plastic drums. That would be such a great project for our students especially those who do not excel academically.”

We have always appreciated your kind donations in the past. You have helped us to keep our students in school and give them the gift of education. Your continued support will help us to continue innovating and setting up new ways to motivate and boost our students.

Be part of the change! Make a difference in a child’s life and help out the environment too. Give young students a chance for a better future!

All donations are welcome! Thank you so much!

Ibrahim with his wheelbarrow

Mahamadou with his car

Aminatou with her embroidery

Taleb-Sidi with his humidifier

Monsieur Cyrille with his creative students

Permalink

Mar 22, 2016
Hampate Ba holds first Parent/Teacher Meeting!

By Homa Kombo and Sher Betz-Cooper | Field Coordinator and Treasurer

Parent engagement in school is nurtured when parents come to understand that their involvement in their child’s studies is a key part of what it means to be a responsible parent, when they are confident enough to make meaningful contributions to the school’s efforts and when they realize that the school administration and teachers, as well as their own children, value their participation in the school.

Our organisation, “Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ”, has been encouraging our teachers and administration in Niamey to work more closely with parents in order to identify goals, problems, and potential solutions to create more successful partnerships to assist more students.

During the first Parents/Teacher Meeting this week, the principal emphasized the importance of good health from a balanced diet and a hygienic environment that enables the students to work better. “Poor health and unhygienic environments are important underlying causes for absenteeism and poor academic performance,” he explained to the mothers and fathers present at the meeting.

The teachers also asked parents to show more commitment towards supporting their children’s learning and treating learning as a priority. Almost all of the parents present at the meeting admitted NOT giving their children the time for study, homework, and other learning tasks at home. They also said they did NOT control time allowed to watch television, drink tea, chat with friends, and play cards at the expense of doing school work. Mothers recognised the fact that their daughters spent a lot of time helping them with housework. School work came second, and NOT first.

Once again, the principal intervened asking the parents to provide their children with a suitable place to study at home and to monitor their study time. « These practices make your child understand that his/her academic success is a priority for you and that you put effort in monitoring progress towards this goal ».

Parents were also asked to take the lead in fighting violence against children. As corporal punishment is deeply rooted in cultural and social practices in Niger, it is important for the school authorities to explain to parents why the Hampate Ba School has opted for NOT practicing corporal punishment at school. « We want your children to enjoy a peaceful, safe and protected environment from which fear is banished. We cannot achieve this goal if we physically hurt and psychologically humiliate your children.»

The meeting ended with parents thanking the school staff and our humanitarian association , for doing so much for their children.

« We are very grateful to the school and Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ for taking such good care of our children. We have heard what the teachers and the principal have said and will try to give more of our time and attention to the school work of our children to help them be more successful in their studies and have a better chance in life », said a very happy father.

Your donations help us promote a quality education for underprivileged students. Thank you!

Permalink

Dec 21, 2015
UNESCO commends Hampate Ba School's Program

By Homa Kombo and Sher Betz-Cooper | Field Coordinator and Treasurer

Hampaté Bâ School was recently commended by the UNESCO Representative and by the local education representatives for delivering a program on equity, bullying and prejudice as part and parcel of its curriculum. At a meeting convened by the regional education directorate of Niamey on the 9^th of December, the regional director praised Hampaté Bâ’s unique program and asked other schools to follow suit.

Mr Baro, the school principal, further explained this worthwhile program:

“We have students from different ethnic groups speaking different languages, we have boys, we have girls, we have albino students, we have students who can’t take part in sports, we have poor students. We need to address these differences because the one thing we don’t want in our school is the ”us and them” mentality. At Hampaté Bâ, it’s all ‘us! ‘”

By the time they enter middle school, many students hold negative stereotypes of people different from them. Teachers at Hampaté Bâ school help reduce prejudice by talking about it directly. They try to serve as role models and give students the tools and strategies needed to form healthy attitudes and foster cooperation and understanding.

“My friends and I used to tease a classmate by calling him “little mouse” because he was so tiny. Before I didn’t realize what was wrong with making fun of him, but now I can understand why it is not a nice thing to do.”

To reduce such prejudice, teachers at Hampaté Ba School receive an on- going and bespoke teacher training program. Our charity believes in this vital and very worthy program and we need your help so we can continue to support it.

In a world torn by violence and wars, schools such as Hampaté Bâ can become models of hope for the future.

Your donations will help us make a difference in the world.

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Permalink

‹ 1 ... 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ... 20 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.