Scholarship 2014

Oh hello! Just recently remembered that I have a blog, but in my defense I've been very busy! Forgive me, but I'm going to go a little bit out of order and start with my scholarship girls because I love them the most.

So as my Facebook friends will know, I did the Michelle Sylvester Scholarship at my local middle school again this year.  The goal of the scholarship is to keep at risk girls in school. "At-risk" includes risk from poverty, risk of early marriage, and risk of pregnancy. It also awards high achieving girls- all of my girls were at the top of their class.

You'll all remember my girls last year (pictured below). I had six of the smartest girls in the school in the program. This year, one went on to high school, one failed her finals but passed her BFEM (the test one needs to pass be allowed to go to high school),  two are in 3eme this year (9th grade) and were awarded the scholarship again, and two got married and will not be continuing their education. In an effort not to turn this specific post into a rant about my feeling on teenage marriage, I'll just say I'll write about it later.

MSS Scholarship Recipient 2013

This year, though, we added three more girls to the list.  Peace Corps (and by "Peace Corps" I of course mean my wonderful donors) paid for their inscription fees (about $10), bought them notebooks and pens, and the American Embassy in Dakar sweetened the deal by giving out free book bags literally full of everything a student is supposed to have and is almost always too poor to buy. This includes more notebooks, pens, pencils, protractor, ruler, mini chalk board, pencil case, and I'm forgetting everything else, but trust me, it's good. I told everyone it was from Obama, and were the mid-term elections in Sanankoro, I would now have total confidence in the Democrats sweeping it.

Scholarship Recipients 2014

I had a much better time of it this year for several reasons. 1. I speak Pulaar this year. Last year I had to get the project started my first week at site, which was overwhelming, and I'm pretty sure not everyone understood everything, myself included. 2. I have a relationship with the school this year, and they trust me a lot more. 3. I have a relationship with the girls, and getting the scholarship is actually a really big deal now. 4. I had a much better outfit.

Let just conclude with a congratuatory note to Dienabou and Khady, who received the scholarship two years in a row, Mariama Sow, Fanta Seydi, Dienaba Kande, Mariama Balde, Assette Balde, Salle Mballo, and Asmou Seydi, CEM Sare Koutayel's scholarship girls and Senegal's future presidents, doctors, lawyers, and ministers. Not that I have high expectations or anything.