Knocking Down Barriers to Education

15/05/2013 - For hundreds of thousands of Malian children education is simply out of reach. The lack of schools and teachers, the cost of school uniforms and books, and the views of family members on the value of education, are all significant barriers to education.

Despite significant progress the goal of education for all Malian children by 2015, remains more of a dream than a reality. The number of children attending primary school is on the rise as is the number of trained teachers. Unfortunately, nearly 1 million Malian children aged 7–12 are still not in school. Of these, 60 per cent – more than half a million children in total – are girls.

How the SOS Children's Villages is making education more accessable in Kouloun:

In spite of the impact that education can have on a child, their family and their community, very few children in the rural community of Kouloun go to school. The SOS Family Strengthening Program in Kouloun is working with families and the community to knock down the barriers to education.

In Sabouciré N’Di, a small village in Kouloun, there is a three room primary school that provides class’s up-to grade six. For children in the community this is their first and only experience in school. Many of the school’s students don’t attend class, or drop out early to support their family financially.

 
In 2012, the SOS Family Strengthening Program in Kouloun began working with fifteen year old Souleymane and his family. Souleymane’s parents have twelve children and struggle to make enough money, from their small family farm, to send their children to school.

All of Souleymane’s older siblings had to drop out of school to support the family financially, taking on small jobs in the community and working on the family farm. Souleymane was very committed to his education, and despite regularly missing class to help his parents on the farm; he was able to graduate from primary school. Souleyman enrolled in the closest secondary school, 10 kilometres from his home.

Quickly the cost of Souleymane’s school fees and the amount of time he was spending travelling to and from school became taxing on his family’s limited income. One day Souleymane’s parents told him: “you should stop school; you have learned enough and must make way for your younger brothers and sisters”.

For the SOS Family Strengthening Program in Kouloun, Souleymane’s situation is unfortunately very common. Children in the community drop out of school to support their family and the cycle of poverty continues.

When Souleymane’s family was admitted into the SOS Family Strengthening Program the first priority was finding away to for him and his siblings to attend school. SOS Children’s Villages is helping Souleymane’s parents cover the cost of school fees, books, uniforms for each of all of their children.

The program has also provided Souleymane and his siblings with bicycles so that they can travel to and from school much faster.

With the help of the SOS Family Strengthening Program, Souleymane’s parents are able to participate in workshops on business and income-generating activities. This has made it possible for them to generate more income from their small scale farm.