Want to get involved?

As I near the end of my service, I have decided on one last project to do in my village and this time, I'd like to include you all who are at home in Ameriki. As I said in my last post, a youth soccer club in Tioribougou has started playing everyday. It is well-supervised and a great opportunity for these kids. However, they have very little equipment, even for soccer which doesn't take much. My villagers and I have decided to get uniforms, shoes, and soccer balls for them to show our support for the club. It's not a complicated, expensive project, and will easily be finished before September if the funding comes in quickly. If you're at all interested in helping us out with this, or even if you don't think you can but want more information, check out the project description on the Peace Corps web page. http://www.peacecorps.gov/. Click on Donate Now, Volunteer Projects, and then look for my name under Mali. (As of today, the project has not been posted online yet but should be within a week). Writing the proposal, we made efforts to ensure that this project will be sustainable, benefit boys and girls alike, and will be responsibly supervised. Anything you can contribute would help, even some words of encouragement to the kids!

I'd like to thank Aunt Colleen for her generosity and initiative. After merely mentioning the project over the phone to her, she sent ten quality soccer balls through the mail! I wish you could have been there, Aunt Colleen, to see the look on the coach's face when I handed them to him. Your generosity meant so much to him and the team! I ni ce, i ni baragi!