2020 Completed Projects
Peace Love and Happiness Foundation brings four new solar water systems
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: JP’s Peace Love and Happiness foundation
Project Description/Impact: Thanks to a generous donation from Paul Mitchell Haircare Family and JP’s Peace, Love, and Happiness Foundation, Empower Mali was able to bring clean drinking water to four different communities in rural Mali.
The drilling of wells equipped with solar generated pumps brings water to the rural villagers of Mali. Each kit includes solar panels, electric pump, an elevated reservoir, and sufficient piping to make the water accessible for the villagers.
We installed four solar powered water pumps and tanks in the communities of:
Ouélessébougou
Well Depth: 360 ft
People Served :3800
Flow Rate :1057 gal/hr
Dioila
Well Depth :393 ft
People Served :2600
Flow Rate :951 gal/hr
Sanankoro
Well Depth :328 ft
People Served :1700
Flow Rate :800 gal/hr
N’tentou
Well Depth:360 ft
People Served:2300
Flow Rate : 1057 gal/hr
The Karl and Erika Michel Academy of Ouelessebougou is Completed
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Building Youth Around the World, Michel Family
Project Description/Impact:
Thanks to a generous grant from the Michel Family and the Building Youth Around the World foundation, Empower Mali has completed construction of a three classroom middle school in the community of Ouelessebougou. Ouelessebougou is a fast growing city and schools are overcrowded. The new school will bring relief to the community and help increase enrollment of students in 7th, 8th and 9th grades from Ouelessebougou and the surrounding villages.
This is Building Youth Around the World’s fifth school in Mali. They have also built three teacher housings, installed two electricity generating playgrounds and sponsored a student from Mali to attend high school in the United States. In partnership with Building Youth Around the world, we are also building a primary school and teachers housing in the village of Karagouan which is in the Sikasso region of Mali.
Feeding Families in Mopti
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Matthew McConaughey
Project Description/Impact:
Mali is already one of the poorest countries in the world. Insecurity and violence in the last few years has led to many families in the Mopti region struggling to get by. A generous $100,000 grant from Matthew McConaughey has allowed the Empower Mali family to serve 100 families every month for 7 months from January to July 2020.
In July 2020, Matthew reaffirmed his commitment to serve more families for 7 more months with another generous $100,000 donation.
Completion of the teachers housing for Nurturing Nations Ghana Orphanage
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Building Youth Around the World, Nurturing Nations
Project Description/Impact:
This year we lent our construction expertise and partnered with the Building Youth Around the World Foundation to build a teacher housing for the Nurturing Nations orphanage in Kofi Kwei. The orphanage already has a School and Safe House which provide a safe place for children of all abilities and economic backgrounds from the area to learn and grow.
A lack of quality housing discourages teachers from wanting to teach in rural areas as they have no place to house their families. A teachers housing allows quality teachers to be attracted and provides for long-term stability for the teachers and also the students they teach.
Empower Mali partnered with Building Youth Around the World to make the teacher housing a reality and to allow the orphanage in Kofi Kwei to keep quality teachers onsite.
A new Tractor for the community of N'Tentou
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Empower Mali
Project Description/Impact:
As part of the Perpetual Tractor program, enough money was paid back by the villages, which already have our tractors, to buy one new tractor for the community of N’Tentou!!
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.
The JP DeJoria Academy of Moro Moro is Inaugurated
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: JP’s Peace Love and Happiness Academy of Moro Moro
Project Description/Impact:
The JP Dejoria Academy of Moro Moro in the city of Madina in the region of Kayes was inaugurated!! The school consists of three classrooms, a director’s office and two blocks of three latrines, one for girls and one for boys. This school serves the 7th, 8th and 9th grade students in the village who otherwise would risk a 5km, 4 times a day walk in blazing sun, storms and torrential rains, and possible kidnappings for ritual sacrifices.
The inauguration was attended by the entire village and community leaders. The Indian Ambassador to Mali was a special guest. Namory Coulibaly, a representative of the association of young nationals of Moro-Moro in Bamako, stated that “this school relieves the children in the second cycle. Our children are suffering a lot because of the lack of classes. But today, thanks to Empower Mali, we have just inaugurated three rooms in a kit of 3 equipped classrooms, 6 latrines, an office of the Director, and a home for current teachers. This is a relief that marks the hope, a hope that will remain etched in the memories of the people of Moro Moro
This middle school was completed in 2019 but due to COVID19, its inauguration was delayed. Despite it not being inaugurated, Empower Mali worked with local leaders to ensure the school start being used as soon as possible to alleviate the suffering of the children and their parents.
A tractor for Sikasso
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: The Watkins Family and Gerber Construction
Project Description/Impact:
A kind $20,000 donation from the Watkins family added to a donation from Gerber construction allowed Empower Mali to partner with yet another community in Sikasso town to provide a tractor.
The tractor is part of the Perpetual Tractor program. Villages are able to pay off the $25,000 tractors over a period of 5 years and then they own them outright. These communities have implemented large scale farming. They have been able to increase their farmland thereby also increasing yields.
The William Cecil Carr Academy of Zekoun is Completed
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Coates Family
Project Description/Impact:
We have finished construction on a middle school in the village of Zekoun. Zekoun in the Commune of Misseni, is close to the Ivory Coast border. The village with a population of 500 families is in dire need of a middle school.
Due to COVID restrictions, the Inauguration will happen at a later date but we have worked directly with local authorities to provide teachers so the school can start being used immediately for the community’s benefit.
New Solar water Pump for N’Godonina
Date Completed: 2020
Partners: Sorenson Legacy Foundation
Project Description/Impact:
Thanks to a generous grant from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, Empower Mali was able to bring clean water to the village of N’Godonina in the Bougouni region. We used a modern highly effective borehole that was able to dig a 360ft well. We also installed an electric pump and an elevated reservoir which stores the water and keeps it safe from contamination
The water system has been a lifesaver for the 3800 residents of N’Godonina and has been able to provide a steady supply of clean water for families, livestock and crops.
Empower Mali also worked directly with the water committee in the village and brought in our own experts to conduct a training session on hygiene and sanitation around the tap and water treatment and clean storage techniques.