Our Story: Nana-Kéniéba is located in the southern part of Mali, West Africa, and has approximately 2,100 residents. In the late 1950s, Nana-Kéniéba broke out of its extreme isolation and poverty thanks to the personal sacrifice of one of its native sons, Namballa Keita (1915-1999) the father of Carleton College Professor Cherif Keita. With his modest earnings, he decided to build a public school (with a couple of classrooms), thus triggering a remarkable improvement in the life of a region that had very little to no access to modern education and the outside world. This school, which opened its doors in October 1960, two weeks after Mali’s independence from France, gave basic education to generations and generations of children and brought about many other modern amenities, such as a community health center. Both the school and the health center have expanded greatly over the decades with the dedicated support of the local population and additional investment by foreign friends (the City of Thionville, France, and Iowa-based Medicine for Mali). These improvements have made access to Nana-Kéniéba in all seasons of the year extremely crucial for the surrounding villages of Karamokola, Komanfara, Kalima and Boroboro.
Herein lies the need for a new and better bridge to replace the small one built in 1984-85 by the village under the guidance of its first American Peace Corps volunteer. In recent years, because of the adverse effects of climate change, the heavy run-offs from the neighboring Mande Hills and the soil erosion typical in this area, the small bridge that has provided access to Nana-Kéniéba is often submerged during the three months of the rainy season (July-September). During this period of time, crossing becomes extremely hazardous and sometimes impossible for the people going in and out of the village. Access to health care, to markets and to precious educational facilities located in Nana-Kéniéba is threatened every year (see pictures) for all 5,000 residents in the surrounding area.
The Goal: Completing the bridge by the next rainy season, July 2020.
The people of Nana-Kéniéba are asking for your help to build their life-saving bridge for a total cost of 17,000 dollars(2,000 of which have already been raised by the village).
Money to be raised: 15, 000 dollars (for building materials, salaries of technicians and specialized workers, transport of materials).
We are coming to you, our families and friends, to ask for your help in order to complete this project that is important to so many.
Herein lies the need for a new and better bridge to replace the small one built in 1984-85 by the village under the guidance of its first American Peace Corps volunteer. In recent years, because of the adverse effects of climate change, the heavy run-offs from the neighboring Mande Hills and the soil erosion typical in this area, the small bridge that has provided access to Nana-Kéniéba is often submerged during the three months of the rainy season (July-September). During this period of time, crossing becomes extremely hazardous and sometimes impossible for the people going in and out of the village. Access to health care, to markets and to precious educational facilities located in Nana-Kéniéba is threatened every year (see pictures) for all 5,000 residents in the surrounding area.
The Goal: Completing the bridge by the next rainy season, July 2020.
The people of Nana-Kéniéba are asking for your help to build their life-saving bridge for a total cost of 17,000 dollars(2,000 of which have already been raised by the village).
Money to be raised: 15, 000 dollars (for building materials, salaries of technicians and specialized workers, transport of materials).
We are coming to you, our families and friends, to ask for your help in order to complete this project that is important to so many.