U.S. & MALI
Creating greater understanding and respect between people
U.S. & MALI
Creating greater understanding and respect between people
Visit our online Mali Jewelry & Crafts sale here!
Proceeds go directly to our arts and education programs.
*See photos of our 2022 exhibition of mudcloths in Bamako
under our PROGRAMS tab/ON THE GROUND
*Learn more about mudcloth under our ARTS of MALI tab
Taking Stock: Ko-Falen purchases grain for our Family Food & Wellness Program.
Identified families receive 50 kilos each of rice, green millet and corn. This year we hope to feed 40 families! In addition, we provide assistance for families with chronic health issues and diseases.
Digging In: Caretaker Madou works with students to grow our gardens at the Tutoring Center.
Ko-Falen is giving our students the opportunity to learn gardening tips and grow their skills. Some have already begun gardens at home!
Solving Problems: Math Teacher Maama works with three of her students during Algebra class. Our FREE tutoring center offers geometry, algebra and physics, as well as French reading & writing and English. We also sponsor students in school.
Paving the Way: Our neighborhood is helping to pave the road in front of Ko-Falen.
Finally! Students and neighbors are working together to make our dangerous road safe for our students to negotiate!
Our programs in Mali:
1) Promote and preserve traditional arts of Mali
2) Feed families in food-insecure times
3) Guarantee potable water to our students & families
4) Keep young girls in school
5) Instill self-confidence and pride in underserved youth
6) Give students skills for their future
7) Open their eyes to a global world
Good afternoon, you good people. My name is Awa Coulibaly and I am a single mother raising two boys Amadou and Moussa. I sell potato leaves and do laundry for neighbors, definitely not enough to hold the education and the full needs of growing boys. Our current situation is not stable here in Mali. I can no longer travel as far as before for buying leaves from gardeners.
My boys were almost too old to go to school; they were hanging at home with no work or barely any food. But we were all relieved after going through Ko-Falen's evaluation to find that the boys had been accepted at the Tutoring Center. That was six years back. Since then, Ko-Falen has taken my boys as their own. Their hard work continues to be proof of their progress. Amadou is now in 5th grade and Moussa is in 4th grade.
There are not enough words to thank Ko-Falen for what they have been doing for families like my own in our community. My boys are getting free education and food so they will not go to school with empty stomachs. Thanks to all you donors,
Awa Coulibaly
Ko-Falen is committing the month of September to our
Family Food & Wellness Fundraiser
Our goal is to raise $6000 to feed 40 families.
That’s over 200 people!
Help us reach our goal with a donation of any size.
($50 buys one 50 kilo bag of grain/$150 feeds 1 family!)
Ko-Falen’s Family Food & Wellness program:
1) identifies the most vulnerable families in our Malian community
2) provides 50 kilos each of rice, green millet and corn to aid in basic food needs
3) provides assistance for our families with chronic health issues and diseases
Hello, my name is Mama Diarra with my daughter Assetou Doumbia and her cousin Assa Kane. They both started schooling here at Ko-Falen when they were young. Assetou passed to high school last year and still continues to come to math and English classes at Ko-Falen. Assa is in 8th grade this year. Without Ko-Falen paying for their school tuitions, they would have been living in the village with no future other than early marriages. I am so grateful to Ko-Falen for saving my girls and continuing to help us. We were visiting the village recently during which we thought how lucky we are to be part of Ko-Falen. At our return to Bamako, Wague put out a call for us. Upon arriving at the Center, we were surprised that 3 sacks of grain were waiting for us! Thank you Ko-Falen for thinking of a single woman caring for 2 girls alone. My girls are not only getting all this help, but also are among the many students that come to see Wague regularly for counseling. He is like a father to them. We love you all and hope you stay around long enough for some of these children to return to help at Ko-Falen. Thanks again, Mama Diarra, Assetou and Assa
Ko-Falen Cultural Center has been working in Mali since 2004, promoting mutual understanding between people of different cultures through art and education. We are proud to have built a successful free tutoring center in the outskirts of Bamako, championing the most underserved families, with a focus on artisan families in the area. We sponsor 43 of our 100+ students, paying their public school tuitions. We recently created an arts entrepreneurial program for our students and graduates to help them realize their own small businesses. We have an ongoing storytelling program in the US and Mali to share stories and cultures. Ko-Falen is a 501c3 nonprofit. Your donation is tax deductible.
