Soroptimists from Bamako Espoir in Mali joined forces with the four Swiss Clubs – Schwyz, Burgdorf, Langenthal, and Bad Ragaz – to build a school for girls in the village of Foura, Mali. The school now includes three classrooms, an administration building, and three restrooms – but that’s not all! In order to meet some of the other essential needs of the village of Foura, a well was dug to provide clean drinking water for the entire village and solar panels were installed to ensure the village has a sustainable and clean source of electricity!
The members of the Club of Bamako Espoir and the three Swiss Clubs had identified a clear need: before their project was implemented, the children of Foura had to walk 8 m twice a day to the nearest school. This was often a dangerous undertaking, especially for girls. But this is all a thing of the past now!
Moreover, the source of clean drinking water is reducing rates of filariasis, a parasitic disease that affects the elderly; the solar panels are allowing children to study by electric light rather than by kerosene lamps, and local women are now taking evening literacy classes at the school!
