After months of talking to various people and groups and analyzing the village I will be working with for the next two years, I have found other villages in similar situations throughout Mali. Mali is surrounded by other countries obstructing its transportation for importing and exporting. This also makes Malians have less accessibility to skills. Currently, the village of Narena focuses on agriculture as does most of Mali. It seems as though Mali imports 80% of its products from either China or other surrounding countries that have the means to produce because of the ease of accessibility to supplies and transport. The Malians have been for centuries almost forced to become farmers as a means to survive. Education has been lacking and has been having a struggle to improve because with the culture of having big families, the families need to support each other in farming. The children often do not go to school to farm during the crop seasons and then when that is over, many move on to gold mining. Family is first and with the lack of education due to work, the country falls in an endless loop. The teachers who were born into the village or even surrounding villages have a level of education much lower at the same grade level. As cheesy as it sounds, the future is the children of Mali. Currently, the parents have predestined their kids future and hopefully I change that. The children have a right to choose their own paths and advance in the world. Technology is lacking and sad to say it may even be hundreds of years behind. I have tried to develop something that could be integrated into several sectors and at the same time to educate the village into craving the need to develop a step further into the future. I will let you all know later on my progess. First a prototype is in order! Feel free to donate and help out with the research and funding on the right or let me know if its a corporation so it will be through Peace Corps. If you would like to donate supplies, please contact me on the right for my goverment address. I will possibly be helping out with the Mali Tennis Federation. Thats exciting! This will be an interesting but fun two years. I didn't have time (or electricity) but I will post a video in a few weeks. Hope you all come and visit. Bring a fan haha!
A cultural festival for us when we first arrived.
My host family and friends in Kobalakoro just outside the capital of Mali.
The people of Mali love to sing and dance. They have an obsession with Akon lol.
Our battle scars - motorcycle exhaust burn, boiling caramel splatter, and a bike accident on an unpaved road.
Children that come to our language classes everyday to entertain us.
I have never had such crusty dried feet before coming to Mali. The girls in the village couldn't stand it so they scrubbed it down. Lets just say I've never had a pedicure and this was no ordinary one haha.
A hike up one of the mountains. A nice view of our homestay village of Kobalakoro and what the real Mali is like.
Last day with the host family before leaving for our permanent location.
Our swear-in ceremony at the president's house for the first time in history and broadcasted live on TV. Sixty-one people became Peace Corps Mali volunteers. Were were named "The Kennedy's" in honor of Peace Corps 50th Anniversary and also Peace Corps' 40th year in Mali.
My new house at my site. Its a long story but I have to move do to domestic disputes nearby haha.
The view from my new house. Oh yes a mountain. To the left is Guinea. I'm only a bike ride away from the border! Meet you there!
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