Build a school for 120 children in Timbuktu, Mali

Dear Supporters of our Bantam school construction project on Global Giving:

I wanted to send you an update on our Bantam school construction project of 2016/17, Caravan to Class’ 10^th school construction project in village around Timbuktu since 2010.

As I mentioned in my last update, Timbuktu, which was once one of the world’s most literate places, and more recently an important travel destination for the intrepid traveler (it is hard to believe now that Bono was in Timbuktu only 4 years ago) is, today, a surreal place of ancient UNESCO World Heritage sites, pastoral scenes of camels and donkeys transporting agriculture and more than 3,000 UN Peacekeepers. There are military checkpoints everywhere in a heavily militarized environment void of tourists and non-UN foreigners.

Despite Timbuktu being on the front lines of the world’s fight against global extremist violence, residents are adjusting to life in this fabled place. There is still much work to be done by the Malian government, the UN, and NGOs to create more opportunities, particularly for the youth, which will lead to a more secure situation.

The Bantam school will be completed before the end of the 2016/17 school year, hopefully by March 2017 and will bring education to more than 120 children who never had the chance to go to school. On behalf of these children, I thank you for making this happen!

Caravan to Class’ primary goal is to bring education to thousands of children, who have never been able to go to school, in villages around Timbuktu. However, this past year, I have realized that it is even more than that; It is about inspiring families to prioritize education within the family which we are working on through our new Female Adult Literacy Program for mothers, it is about the hope that having a physical school in the center of the village brings to the community at a time of difficulty in the area, finally, it is even about cultivating the motivation of specific individuals to take their learning to the next level.

In regards to the last point, Mr. Abdoulaye Toure who works to administer Caravan to Class’ programs through our partner NGO Nord et Development, expressed his dream of one day being able to speak English (the national language of Mali is French). To that end, Caravan to Class decided to fund an English language program for Abdoulaye in Ghana during the summer months. Abdoulaye just finished his program and sent me the following note, in English, which I would like to share with you:

When I took the decision to come to Ghana I had one goal in my head : to learn to speak English well. Today i want to thank everybody who has contributed to this success ( first the FOUNDATION CARAVAN TO CLASS by the voice of Barry Hoffner, my coordinator Hamadou Touré, my Father,my Mother, and especially my wife, my colleagues and all my relatives from near and far), I thank God for having given me the courage at the begining and to the end. I can’t finish my letter without thanking the different staff of SOPODIVA. Learning is difficult especially the English language, I think I have to make efforts to improve myself everyday and with that I can progress in the future. Once again thank you.

For me, this is a symbol of a “green shoot” of hope and progress and that even if only for one person, can spread and someday result in progress for the entire region.

Sincerely,

Barry Hoffner

Founder and Executive Director, Caravan to Class