USC Africa Health Initiative Bridge Building Volunteer Project

why it's important:

I lived in the village of Sikoro for a total of four months. The villagers took me under their wings and taught me everything again, from their language, to their culture, to how to not fall down wells at night and how to cook To! When my mom came to visit, the village threw a three-day long celebration for her! When the village asked for my help finding a sister city in the US to help them build the bridge, I said I would do the best I could. This project is the result!

the plan of action:

We will raise the 20,000 dollars necessary for the building of the bridge in Sikoro, as well as the money it takes to bring 13 college students on a life-changing trip to Mali, to help build a community garden for the women of Sikoro, and to teach english classes, art classes and receive instruction in Bambara!

13 Students were selected from USC (University of Southern California) for this project, for which they receive course credit in anthropology! They have been participating in a semester-long seminar on Malian culture, language and history.

On December 20th, we will depart for a three-week trip to Mali. Students will spend two-weeks in Sikoro building a community garden and doing other activities and we will spend one week traveling around the country.

So far, we are well on our way to fundraising what we need, but we still need more help. With an auction that raised 14,000 dollars and help from the Rotary Club of Belmar-Wall we are coming closer and closer to our goal.

how you can get involved:

You can help by donating on our website: www.uscahi.com, organizing an event, or contacting us with other ideas!

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