Friends of Mali – Ireland is a volunteer–based, not–for–profit organization that promotes sustainable, community–based development projects in one of the world’s poorest countries – Mali – in West Africa. Among those projects is the conversion of a temporary, single–room school into a permanent, three–room school for Tuareg students in the remote, Saharan village of Tin Gnere. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this project has been partially funded under our Institutional Education Grant program since 2008.

Friends of Mali – Ireland founder, Dr. Elizabeth Healy, returned to Tin Gnere in April, 2010 and recently sent us new photos and a progress report. The first two photos are of the now–finished, first mud–brick classroom, taken from the front and the rear. The buildings on either side of this new classroom are the newly–built, temporary, straw classrooms covered to protect the students from the sun. Below is a close–up photo of one of these temporary, straw classrooms as well as one taken from the inside. With your help the villagers of Tin Gnere hope to be able to build a second, permanent mud–brick classroom as well as another temporary, straw classroom in the next year so that more of the 150 village children can attend school.

This project is becoming a real success story! The villagers view these developments as nothing less than transformational and they express their gratitude to our donors. With your help The Peoples of the World Foundation and Friends of Mali – Ireland have been able to fund two new teachers for this school – allowing the villagers themselves to successfully convince the Malian government to take over the funding of one of those teachers. As the photos below demonstrate, even in the remotest parts of the world indigenous education is possible given the motivation and the resources.

In fact the success to date of this project is receiving attention outside of Tin Gnere village. The Tuareg villagers of neighboring Tiwadt village, about 40 kilometers from Tin Gnere, have been so impressed that they now want to start a similar project in their village. Because one of the Tin Gnere teachers is now funded by the Malian government the Tin Gnere elders, realizing the value of education to their people, have agreed that the leftover funding for their second teacher be diverted instead to bring the first teacher to Tiwadt village. Once the second, new mud–brick classroom in Tin Gnere is complete, the aim is to provide funding for a third teacher there.

You can help us to continue supporting this important project and make a difference in children's lives. Our Friends of Mali – Ireland appeal is available in PDF format by download in standard US Letter size as well as International A4 size.

You can donate online right now at JustGive.org (please enter "Tuareg Appeal" under "Designate my donation") or at PayPal by clicking on the "Donate" image below.