Fougamana, Mali

Ground break November 2022, Completed May 2023

We’re excited to announce that our school in Fougamana, Mali is now complete and is providing vital education to 126 students (72 girls)! We have four wonderful teachers, teaching six different grade levels. We are also working with community leaders to identify and enrol more girls.

We couldn’t have done this without you - so thank you, you wonderful humans!

About Fougamana and mali

Mali ranks 182 out of 189 countries on the UN Human Development Index, and half of the population lives below the poverty line of $1.90 a day. Ninety-percent of all poor live in rural areas, particularly the south where there is a high population density. There are more girls out of school than boys in Mali, and out of school rates for children from rural areas (63 percent) is higher than those for children from urban areas (35 percent). That’s why buildOn focuses its work exclusively on the rural areas of Mali where the need is greatest.

Factors contributing to the country’s high drop out and out-of-school rate include poverty, child labor, child marriage, and proximity to schools. Mali’s small villages and remote communities such as Fougamana often lack access to quality school structures and classrooms, and a disproportionately large number of those living in poverty are women. The village of Fougamana is a rural community of approximately 2,000 people located in the Sikasso region. Most community members are subsistence farmers who rear livestock and grow millet, cotton, rice, and corn.

View the community on Google Earth