We’re very excited to share this video highlighting an April 2025 visit to two schools we’ve recently helped to build in Mali, West Africa.

The first visit is for the grand opening of the new primary school in the village of Dintiola. Next, our delegation, led by Abou Coulibaly, visited the new primary school classrooms in the town of M’Pessoba.

The video concludes with a visit to Tionso, where we kicked off construction of a new primary school in May 2025. This will be the 35th school we’ve helped to build!

A huge thanks to Andal Média (find them on Facebook), a web TV producer in Mali, for allowing us to share this video, and to ‪Coleman Donaldson at An Ka Taa for the fantastic subtitles in Bambara, English, and French.

To learn more about our projects, and how you can help us build our next school, visit our Contribute page.

Construction of the new elementary school in the village of Tionso is well underway. Workers recently took a week’s vacation for a major holiday. In West Africa, they call it Tabaski, but most of the Muslim world calls it Eid al-Adha. This week, the work resumed and things are moving ahead nicely.

Thanks to the principal of the school in Tionso, Monsieur Cissouma, for sending these great photos! These photos are a great illustration of the community mobilizing to help build the school. This is one of the ways that we build new schools quickly and inexpensively. Young people in the village transport materials like sand and gravel, and provide plenty of labor.

The new three-room schoolhouse will replace an existing mud brick building that was in poor condition. As a part of every school project, we also fund the construction of a storeroom/teacher’s office and a block of latrines for boys and girls. The school enrolls 440 children, so these new classrooms will help ease overcrowding. The bright, airy new classrooms also help the village to recruit and retain teachers.

We can only build schools with your help! Visit our Contribute page to learn more.

Good news from our collaborators in Mali! Construction has begun on the new primary school in the village of Dintiola. This will be our 34th school! According to our volunteer Abou Coulibaly:

The project in Dintiola is off to a good start. Much of the procurement is completed, the team has started making the cinder blocks.

In 2024, the Board or Directors took the initiative to evaluate how our schools are doing, years after they were built. We hear anecdotally from our contacts in Mali that the schools are all doing well, but we wished to verify this by doing an independent check to see how our schools are holding up and how they are functioning. To that end, we hired a Malian professional, a former Peace Corps language instructor who now works as a teacher and interpreter in Bamako. In November 2024, he visited 8 schools and sent us over 100 photos.

The main takeaway is that all of the schools he visited are open and functioning.

There are some maintenance needs at a few schools. and overcrowding is becoming an issue in others. Some communities struggle to finance the teacher’s salaries and to purchase enough supplies and materials. For example, one school did not have enough chairs, and at another school, there is no nearby water source.

The fact that overcrowding is becoming an issue is a testament to the demand for education among villagers in rural Mali. More families are choosing to send their children to school than a generation ago. This is a big shift from the 1990s, when I served as Peace Corps volunteer in the Segou region of Mali.

In some cases, villagers have constructed additional buildings out of mud bricks or millet stalks to house the overflow. In some schools, the classrooms host double shifts of students, one grade in the morning, and another in the afternoon. So each student is only attending half a day of school, and every teacher is teaching two different grades.

Our auditor noted that the schools all have basic supplies, but that it’s common for children to have to share books in groups of 2 or 3. He mentioned that the teachers sometimes do not have enough manuals and other teaching supplies, or have to buy these themselves.

Most of our schools have toilets (latrines), water, and hand-washing stations. However, there are some problems at some schools, for example Gongasso does not have available water nearby. In Tabakoro, the hand-washing equipment is broken and has not been replaced.

For the past 20 years, we have focused almost entirely on building schools in partnership with local communities in Mali. Our mission is simple and the work we do is essential, but the work does not stop there. Mali is among the poorest countries in the world. Every village has a school management committee which is responsible for its operation, with support from the local government and the national Ministry of Education.

In 2025, the Board is considering expanding our role, by helping schools to fund maintenance, or to provide small grants to purchase school supplies and books. If this is something that interests you, please get in touch or consider making a donation.

Overall, the villages where we have helped build schools are doing very well in terms of enrollment. Girls education is strong, at least at the primary school level. In most of the schools, the ratio of girls to boys is about 50:50.

A few generations ago, few children in rural Mali attended school. A cultural shift has occurred, and today, many parents want their sons and daughters to go to school. We are proud to have played a small part in this revolution.

In the communities we have helped, the schools are a point of pride. And having a clean, modern schoolhouse helps the community to recruit teachers, which is often difficult for rural schools.

The demand for school construction projects remains high. Our auditor frequently mentioned (1) villages that need middle schools, or where (2) more classrooms are needed, or (3) the distance to the school is high, and more schools would alleviate this.

At all of our schools, we fund the purchase of building materials like cement, doors and windows, and paint. We also pay for skilled labors — the masons and builders. The community comes together to provide additional labor, and materials like sand, gravel, and water to make the concrete blocks. Also importantly, the village comes together to feed the workers and to house them during their stay. It is your financial assistance helps make these projects possible. Thank you!

(Download a 1-page, 2-sided PDF of this newsletter here.)

Dear Build a School in Africa Supporters, 

Please join us in celebrating our 22nd year and the construction of our 33rd school! 2024 was a year marked by tragedy and hope for the Malian people and for our small, all-volunteer organization. Thanks to your support, we have continued our campaign of school building, and will soon complete our 34th school.

Judy Lorimer, in memoriam

It was with deep sadness that we learned that our former director Judy Lorimer passed away in June 2023. Judy was a long time kindergarten teacher, and during her retirement, she fell in love with Mali after a cultural exchange visit.

For many years, Judy traveled to Mali annually, at her own expense, visiting the schools she helped to build and spending time with the students and teachers. Judy will be missed tremendously by the whole Build a School in Africa family.

The Board & Volunteers

Long-time volunteer and webmaster Matt Heberger offered to serve as director and keep the organization going. We’ve also rejuvenated the Board and have been meeting every 2 to 3 months by Zoom. The Board currently has 4 members: Alice Heller, Karolyn (Midgie) Franz, Kyla Malone, and Matt. To read bios and see photos, please visit our website! 

New Elementary School in Diassidian

In 2023, we made the unusual decision to begin construction of a new school, knowing that we did not have enough funds to finish it. The community wanted to begin construction before the rainy season began, when the dirt roads turn into mud and transporting supplies becomes difficult.

The old school building in Diassidian made from mud bricks was dark and required frequent maintenance.

Thanks to your donations, the school was finished in 2024 in time for the start of the school year. The new school is bright and airy and better for learning. 

Putting a final coat of paint on the new school in Diassidian in October 2024. 

Kicking off Construction in M’Pessoba

Thanks to a generous donation from a couple in Australia, we have initiated construction on our 33rd school! 

In October, our volunteer in Mali,  Abou Coulibaly, visited the village and held kick-off meetings with the village and the deputy mayor. 

School committee meeting in M’Pessoba, Oct. 2024.

Widespread Flooding in Mali causes destruction, delays start of school year

This year’s rainy season was particularly intense across West Africa, and caused widespread flooding, the worst seen in decades. Each of Mali’s 20 regions was affected to some extent, and the government reported 30 deaths and the loss of hundreds of houses, latrines, and wells. 

As a result of the flooding, the start of the school year was delayed from Oct.1 to Nov. 4. And in many areas, school buildings have been used as shelters.

Political Instability makes our work even more essential 

Several West African countries are passing through a difficult period, marked by uncertainty and instability. Since 2011, there has been conflict in Mali including fundamentalist groups that have spread violence and chaos. Following a military coup in 2012, Mali has failed to hold free and fair elections. As a result, western countries have cut off foreign aid, neighboring countries have restricted trade, and some large nonprofits have paused operations in Mali. 

As an African proverb says, “When the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” We are hoping for an end to the conflict, a return to democracy and the rule of law, and a brighter future for the Malian people. Despite all of this, our operations have not been affected. We are engaged in people-to-people assistance, working directly with deserving communities. This kind of help is more important than ever!

Your Contribution Makes a World of Difference!

Historically, it has been difficult for village schools to recruit and retain good teachers. Having modern, clean school buildings helps a lot. 

Thanks to the work of the dedicated teachers and staff,generations of children will have the opportunity to realize their potential and make a positive contribution to society. By contributing to Build a School, you voice our support for the valuable mission they carry out. Any amount helps. Thank you!

Donate online or send your tax-deductible contribution to:

Build a School in Africa
4 Old Stonehill Road
Tyngsboro, MA 01879

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year! 

—Abou, Alice, Kyla, Matt, and Midgie

Construction under way in Diassidian, early 2024.

During the last week of October, our volunteer Abou Coulibaly visited the village of M’Pessoba to kick off the construction of a new elementary school. Here, Abou is meeting with members of the community and the vice-mayor.

The plan for M’Pessoba is to build 3 classrooms, an office/storeroom for the teachers, and two blocks of latrines. We estimate that the new school will enroll 220 children — 111 girls and 109 boys.

Currently, the children attend schools that are either overcrowded or far away from their village. As a result, the classrooms serve “double shifts” and children only attend for half the day. Other children have to walk several miles and cross a busy road, which puts them at risk of accidents. The new school will alleviate the overcrowding and provide a safe environment for learning.

Thanks to a number of generous donations over the last few months, we reached our fundraising goal for the new school in Diassidian, Mali.

Last year, we made the unusual decision to begin construction of a new school, knowing that we did not have enough funds to finish it. The community wanted to begin construction before the rainy season began, when the dirt roads turn into mud and transporting supplies becomes difficult.

This year’s rainy season was particularly intense across West Africa, and caused widespread flooding, the worse seen in decades. Each of Mali’s 20 regions was affected to some extent, and the government reported 30 deaths and the loss of hundreds of houses, latrines, and wells. In many areas, school buildings have been used as shelters. As a result of the flooding, the start of the school year was delayed from Oct.1 to Nov. 4. 

This fall, the children of Diassidian will be able to start the school year off in bright, airy new classrooms.

Please join us in celebrating the completion of our 33rd school. We have already started planning for school #34 in M’Pessoba, Mali. Thank you again to all of our incredible donors who make this important work possible.

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Build a School in Africa Director Judy Lorimer passed away in June.

Judy was a dear friend and we will miss her tremendously. Judy was with Build a School in Africa since its earliest days, first as a mentor to high school students raising money for charity in 2002, then making the organization “official,” and serving as director for over 20 years. Judy visited Mali many times over the years, and, as a former teacher herself, loved visiting the villages and meeting the teachers and schoolchildren. You can read Judy’s obituary at legacy.com.

Here is a touching remembrance from a friend and fellow African dancer, reprinted with permission:

The organization’s Board met on July 15, 2023, and asked Matthew Heberger, volunteer and long-time webmaster, to serve as acting director. Our priority is to finish building the school that is under construction in Diassidian, Mali, and to ensure that all funds the organization has received are used for their intended purpose — building schools in deserving communities in West Africa. If you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch at matt@buildaschoolinafrica.org.

Last month, we began construction of our 32^nd school in the village of Diassidian, Mali (pronounced Jah-see-janh). We usually don’t start construction until we have all the funds needed, but our project managers Abou and Madou wanted to get the construction materials purchased and delivered before the rainy season begins and the dirt roads turn into axle-deep mud. So far, we have spent $12,000, but we still need another $4,000 USD to finish the school.

We need your help! Please consider making a donation to help finish building the new elementary school building in Diassidian.

Donate Now!

All of our schools are a partnership with the local community, where we provide building materials like steel and cement, and pay the tradesman. In turn, the village provides sand and gravel and contributes labor.

The team is working fast to get as much done as possible with the funds on hand. They have already accomplished a great deal!

Great news! A donation by a group of high school students in Massachusetts puts us close to being able to build our 32nd school (!).

The Africa Club at Lincoln-Sudbury High School recently sent us $2,100. Last year, the club raised most of the funding for a new elementary school at Zangabougou, Mali.

That puts us within $3,000 of our next 2-room school. An additional $11,000 for would build a block of 3 classrooms. The next community on our waiting list is the village of Diassidian. We’d love for you to help us make that possible! Click Contribute to find out how easy it is.

Remember that, in addition to the funding we provide, communities make significant contributions to building schools, by providing sand, gravel, and labor. The new buildings often replace old mud-brick schoolrooms that are dark and dusty and require constant maintenance.