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Caravan To Class News

MALI – FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Greetings from Mali!

It is hard to believe that I am starting my second decade of annual trips to Mali. Every year as I take my first steps onto the streets of this big West African capital, Bamako, it is easy to first notice the chaos, dirt, and poverty. Your senses are bombarded by this as anyone who has been in a West Africa capital knows. This is also supported by the data from the UN Human Development Index, which shows that eight of the fifteen countries at the bottom of this index are from West Africa (including Mali at 5th from the bottom), and another four from neighboring Central Africa. However, on this trip, as on others, by my second day it was easy to see through the first layer and get a strong glimpse of the resilience, friendliness, industriousness and hope.

JANUARY 10, 2020

Dear friends,

As Caravan to Class starts our 2nd decade of investing in literacy through our work in education in one of the world’s most interesting yet underserved places, (Timbuktu, Mali), I reiterate my gratitude to you for joining me on this important journey! With your support, over the years, we have been able to provide the opportunity for thousands of children to attend French-based schools through our main “school construction and support program.” More recently we have added a Female Adult Literacy program for mothers in the villages where we work, to teach basic literacy in the local language. Last year, we launched our “Bourse Jackie” program that very selectively provides scholarships to female high school graduates, from Timbuktu, to attend university in Mali's capital of Bamako. I personally met with these incredibly bright young women in Mali in February 2019. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of three of these women towards learning English, that Caravan to Class funded an intensive English language course for them this summer in Accra, Ghana. Caravan to Class is currently working on our 14th school construction project, in the village of Bokoi-Koiria near Timbuktu.

MARCH 23, 2019

Image of the village people of Bokoi-Koiria enthusiastically greeting the Caravan To Class team
Image of the village people of Bokoi-Koiria enthusiastically greeting the Caravan To Class team

The Bokoi-Koiria school construction and operational support project:

Caravan to Class will build our 14th school in the village of Bokoi-Koiria and provide operational support for three years. Operational support will include paying teachers’ salaries, providing basic nutrition for school lunches, and school supplies. In addition, Caravan to Class will provide school uniforms to all children and also implement our award-winning Female Adult Literacy program. The school will follow Malian standard instruction in French. The Timbuktu Ministry of Education will send a director, at their expense, to run the school and certify teachers for class instruction.

Make a donation now to Caravan to Class to help fund the Bokoi-Koiria school construction project.

FEBRUARY, 2020

Image of students crowded into the degraded school in Dourgou that Caravan to Class will rebuild
Image of students crowded into the degraded school in Dourgou that Caravan to Class will rebuild

The Dourgou school construction and operational support project:

Caravan to Class will build our 15th school in the village of Dourgou and provide operational support for three years. Operational support will include paying teachers’ salaries, providing basic nutrition for school lunches, and school supplies. In addition, Caravan to Class will provide school uniforms to all children and also implement our award-winning Female Adult Literacy program. The school will follow Malian standard instruction in French. The Timbuktu Ministry of Education will send a director, at their expense, to run the school and certify teachers for class instruction.

Make a donation now to Caravan to Class to help fund the Dourgou school construction project.

  1. Meet the “Bourse Jackie” Scholarship Recipients for 2019
  2. Greetings from Timbuktu, Mali - February 2019
  3. Caravan to Class is fundraising for the Nanga School, our 13th construction project since 2010
  4. Female Adult Literacy Showcased at Dining for Women National Conference

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Read the interview with CTC founder Barry Hoffner,  catch up with progress on literacy programs and Caravan-to-Class press releases.

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Drone footage of the Kokonji school newly-built by Caravan to Class in Mali