MI Students Get Life Lessons in Mali
by Joe Leibson, Program & Trek Coordinator
August 2008
This summer, eleven students and three teachers from Michigan participated in buildOn's Trek for Knowledge to Mali. They were joined by two buildOn staff members and two interns from Vassar College. The group traveled to Mali to help build a school in the village of Seribadjambougou in the Bougani region of the country.
The students and villagers had a great time getting to know each other by living together and working on the school. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, as well as fairly soft ground at the school building site (unusual for Mali), the foundation was dug in just two days! When the team left the village, all of the walls of the three-room school were already being built.
When the group was not on the worksite, they had an opportunity to take part in cultural workshops. These included three lessons in Bamanaka (the language of the Bambara people) given by our translators, a question and answer session with the council of elders of the village, a tour of the farmland surrounding the village, a meeting with the midwife, and having henna applied to their hands. Many students in the group say that they learned a lot from the villagers about their way of life, and were impressed by how hard they work and how generous they are.
Some members of the team also contributed to saving a little girl’s life who had drunk clothing dye (click here for that story). This was a very emotional event for the team and they were extremely thankful that they were able to help someone in need. Many discussions during our team chat circles revolved around the issues that the villagers face due to lack of information about health care. We left the village hoping that the new school will make a difference in their lives.
The following students, teachers, interns and staff members were part of this amazing and successful Trek:
- Susi Berger, Henry Ford Academy (teacher)
- Artavia Berry Roberson, buildOn Chicago Regional Supervisor
- Ellen Butler, Vassar College intern
- Keely Czartorski, Lahser High School
- Isha Gandhi, Lahser High School
- Callan Gavigan, Northville High School
- Ramon Jones, Pershing High School (teacher)
- Parul Kathuria, Northville High School
- Karrington Kelsey, Osborn High School
- Joe Leibson, buildOn Michigan Trek Coordinator
- Katherine Liu, International Academy
- Angel Mills, Renaissance High School
- Torie Richardson, Lumen Christi High School
- Riley Schaff, Lumen Christi High School
- Nakisha Small, Renaissance High School
- David Stibitz, International Academy (teacher)
- Kelly Stout, Vassar College intern
- Shelby Turner, Henry Ford Academy