Support Mali's Vulnerable Children

Diakassan continue to excel in fencing: in September she won 2^ndplace with silver medal at the Mali Olympic Committee’s competition.  

October marked the beginning of the new school year in Mali.  Our children are eager to do well this year, following their summer experiences which were filled with both extra curricular activities such as carpentry, beauty salon, and tailoring learning and sports such as taekwondo, basketball and fencing. 

October is solidarity month in Mali and ACFA was blessed with in-kind and cash donations from numerous individuals and organizations a like. 

Adama and Lassine have started high school: this new experience is promising as they are eager to learn more and pass the national exam in 3 years that will set them up for college enrollment.  

To strengthen our back office, ACFA’s board of director hired a grant writer and several interns and volunteers to support the organization’s fundraising efforts.  Additionally, this semester, the board continued to revamp its committees and has placed numerous actions into motion to allow for enhanced performance at all levels of operations.  

This December 2 board members will join the CEO in Mali to assess operations, and experience first hand the beginning of the new academic year.  Stay tuned for more on this trip in our next report.

Thank you for your support and the opportunity that you give us to continue our mission of brining hope to Mali’s vulnerable children. 

Links:

• Our website

This summer the children excelled in sports. The highlight of the summer was Diakassan qualifying for the regional fencing competition which was held in Algeria and coming home with a bronze medal and a monetary award. The Board is so proud of her. Three of the other girls won gold medals in a taekwondow tournament. Additionally, several of the children participated in a basketball tournament sponsored in part by Basketball Dream Projects of Mali.

 On the academic front, all the children except for one are advancing to the next grade. We will provide tutoring for the child remaining behind and we are sure that he will advance next year.

 One of our Board members, Hamallah Sidibe, visited the children and he made a video of all the children introducing themselves. The video can be found on the ACFA website www.acfacorp.org.

 ACFA hosted a fundraiser in June at Shaw Tavern in Washington, D.C. attended by our CEO Kadiatou Sidibe. Famous Malian singer Djeneba Seck performed at the fundraiser accompanied by her husband, Sekou Kouyate. The turnout was great and the vibe during the evening was terrific.

 This quarter, we received in-kind donation from organizations such as Foundation Orange as well in individuals in Mali. We always welcome all kinds of donations in-kind and monetary: we cannot continue our mission without your support.

 ACFA also had its first summer interns. The interns all attend George Washington University, and were a big help for our Development and Outreach committees.

 We thank you for your support without which we could not achieve our mission of brining hope to Mali’s vulnerable children.

Links:

• Our website