SOS Schools in Mali

In Mali, over a third of primary-age girls are not enrolled at school.

In Mali, there are currently two SOS Nurseries and three SOS Schools. These facilities provide education to children from SOS Villages and from the wider community. Staff members are well trained and the resources available to students are of a high standard.  Below you can find an overview on the SOS Children education projects.

Adama's Story

Adama* was abandoned by both her parents and passed among relatives until an aunt was forced to give her away by a threatening husband. Admitted to the SOS Children’s Village of Socoura at six years old, she was physically underdeveloped and couldn’t speak. Now Adama attends nursery and always listens to the songs and sounds of the other children. And recently Adama has begun to say ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ and to try pronouncing the names of her SOS brothers and sisters.

*For privacy reasons, we have changed the name of the little girl.

Kita: SOS Schools

The SOS Primary and Junior High School at Kita opened in November 2009. The school began with 8 classes and nearly 300 pupils, but will be operating with 18 classes by 2010.

• The school aims to provide an excellent academic environment for children in the region, many of whom previously had to walk many kilometres to reach their classes.
• Facilities at the school include a canteen to ensure pupils are eating at least one nutritious meal a day, because many are from families living in extremely impoverished conditions.

Sanankoroba : SOS Schools

The SOS Nursery at Sanankoroba has around 220 children, with around 15 coming from the SOS village, 20 from the Family Strengthening Program and the rest from the local community.

• Children are divided into three sections and teaching at the nursery aims to address their emotional needs, as well as developing their physical movement (with indoor and outdoor activities), fostering language and communication skills and improving their social abilities with play and games.
• At the end of the school year, the nursery held a dance for the little ones.

The SOS Primary and Junior High School at Sanankoroba has around 850 students, with over 100 children coming from both the SOS village and Family Strengthening Program and the remainder from the local community.

• Academic results are high at the school, where in a recent year 100 per cent of students passed the Primary School and Junior High School Leaving Certificate. The school’s motto is “Work, Discipline, Excellence”.
• Subjects at the school include English from the 5th grade and computing from the 7th grade. In partnership with Biblionef, the school’s library resources were greatly improved with the addition of over 1,500 gifted textbooks and learning materials from the Association for the Francophone International Distribution of Books, Works and Journals (ADIFLOR). donkey-drawn carts are another important facility of the school, providing transportation for students from very remote villages.

Socoura/Opti : SOS Schools

The SOS Nursery at Socoura/Mopti has around 270 children, with over 20 coming from the SOS village and the rest from the local community.

• The nursery is divided into three sections and provides a wide range of learning and play activities for the children, who spend the last day of school giving dance and recital performances.
• In October 2009, the nursery children took part in the inauguration of the new SOS School of Socoura.

The SOS Primary and Junior High School at Socoura opened on October 1st 2009. The school has 18 classes providing places for over 800 children, including over 80 from the SOS Children’s Village.

• In terms of academic achievement, it was particularly rewarding for the school that all candidates sitting the Primary School and Junior High School Leaving Certificates passed these examinations to give a 100 per cent success rate.
• Sports at the school include basketball, football, volleyball and handball. Other non-curricular lessons include those provided by the Practical and Guided Activities (PGA), where students learn skills such as carpentry, dress making, weaving, basketry and gardening.