2015 Completed Projects
Successful installation of the first electricity generating playground in Ferekoroba
Date Completed:November, 2015
Partners: Building Youth Around the World
Project Description/Impact: We partnered with Building Youth Around the World to install an electricity generating playground in the village of Ferekoroba. The electricity generated by the playground will be used to light up the school. As part of the project, there were also 40 solar lanterns given to the middle school so students can study at night.
The Eloise DeJoria Academy of Katele
Date Completed: April, 2015
Partners: Peace Love Happiness Foundation, Peery Family and Private donors, Malian Government (provides teachers)
Project Description/Impact: We are grateful for a kind $30,000 donation from the DeJoria family, $16,000 from the Peery Family and $4000 from individual donors to build a 3-classroom middle school in the rural village of Katele. In this village, only a primary school was built by the government, so many children, especially girls, would drop out of school. The school when completed will house grades 7,8 and 9. The building will also include a headmasters office and 6 latrines ( 3 for boys, 3 for girls). Students of middle school age from Katele and surrounding villages will soon for the first time have the opportunity to study in their own village. Not only will the literacy level of the village rise, but it will allow the school building to be used for other community needs like adult literacy classes.
Sylvia D. Coates Academy of FALLA and teachers housing
Date Completed:November 2015
Partners: Private donor, Individual donors, Malian Government (provides teachers)
Project Description/Impact: The Falla project was a big project. It included the completion of construction of three classroom middle school, six latrines, a directors office, a computer room and also a separate teachers housing for the directors/teachers. This school is unique in that it offers an integrated computer room. Basic tablet/computer literacy will open doors for these children encouraging them to think greater than their classroom doors.
Micah Shea Watkins Academy of Dongorona, Mali
Partners: Watkins family, Government (provides teachers)
Project Description/Impact: In 2015, the Watkins Family of Alpine, Utah donated $60,000.00 to build a fully equipped 3-classroom middle school, administration building and 6 latrines in the village of Dongorona, Mali.
Due to a lack of a middle school middle school aged children would travel 3-7 miles, 4 times a day to attend school in the neighboring villages. This was causing a drop in enrollment rates especially for girls, who were kept back by parents in fear of long dusty roads and possible dangers of the long journey. The school will serve up to 150 students from Dongorona and the surrounding villages.
Students in Dongorona started using the middle school in February 2016.
Donation of two tractors to Garalo and San
Date Completed: August 2015
Project Description/Impact: As part of the Food Security Initiative, Empower Mali partnered with a private investor and also the Watkins family to donate two tractors to the villages of San and Garalo.
The Empower Mali tractors food security initiative will allow farmers to modernize their business and help increase production of staples like cotton, sorghum, millet, maize, and rice. A massive increase in productivity and output will make a decisive improvement in production, employment and increase rural incomes.