By Homa Kombo | Field Coordinator
A day in the life of Ousmane, a fifth grader at the Amadou Hampaté Bâ Middle School
Ousmane, tell us about yourself, your life at home.
I live in Niamey, in a suburb called Bobiel, I am from a polygamous family. My father is married to two women and we are 12 children. My mother is his second wife. We live in a modest home, which is built from packed earth with a straw roof. I share my room with 6 other children.
How do you travel to and from school?
I walk to school every day. We begin at 7:30 and end at 13:30.
What subjects do you take at school?
The subjects taught in my school are French, English, Mathematics, Natural Science, History, Geography, Civics, and Physical Education.
When you first arrived at this middle school as a sixth grader could you read and write?
No, I couldn’t and so I had problems with all of the subjects. Everything was difficult for me.
How did the school help you?
They put me in a special class called “We can do it!” This class helped me a lot. The French teacher taught us how to read and write. Before, I was not at the same level as the other sixth graders and I suffered from low-self esteem. Now I can read and I’m working on my writing as well.
Did your parents have to pay for this special class?
No, they would not have been able to afford it. I would have most probably repeated the sixth grade and then my parents would have taken me out of school.
And now as fifth grader, are you doing well in your classes?
Now that I can read, I’m doing well in certain subjects. I still have problems with my writing, but I can read and understand much more. My favorite subjects are biology and character education.
What do you think about the climate in your school and your relationships with your teachers?
For me, the climate of the school is very good because teachers do not hit us and they try to do their best for us. They listen to us and don’t embarrass or humiliate us.
What are your expectations regarding your future?
Once I finish school, I want to set up my own business. Maybe I’ll open a garage to fix cars or maybe a restaurant or an Internet Café.
Thanks to the generous donations we have received, we were able to give a full scholarship, uniforms and books to Ousmane for two consecutive years, as well as special tutoring sessions to bring his reading and writing up to level. We hope to keep him in school for the next years too. Your contributions will keep him and 19 other underprivileged students in Amadou Hampaté Ba Middle School for the coming years. This particular group of students need to be fully sponsored since their parents are unable to pay anything. So without your donations, they would not be able to continue going to school at all. Thanks for offering them the chance to not only go to school, but to get a quality education.
Your donations are making a real difference in their lives. Thanks for helping us to help them!
By Sher Betz-Cooper | Treasurer
By Thierry Betz and Homa Kombo | President and Field Coordinator
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