How did it all start?

My interest for Africa in time turned into a real love story for this continent, its breathtaking landscapes, its people, their mysteries and traditions.

Beyond art, customs, history and researches that I carried out as an archeologist, it became increasingly difficult for me to ignore the fact that these populations suffer, often in silence.

In this world both remote yet so close from mine, the vast majority of inhabitants try to survive from day to day.

Then, beyond all these considerations, there are the children… thousands, millions of children who are the hope of a better future filled with joy, not with tears, a hope we cannot afford to lose!

For these reasons, I was looking for a project where children could benefit from my help.

I thought of buying a plot of land where I could build a kindergarden. Destiny had other plans...

We heard that one of these daycares was in trouble. Paul and I rushed there to discover, inside a dark building, dozens of 4 to 6 year old children quietly sitting and listening to their teachers.

When they saw us, they rose all together and recited a small poem of welcome as is the tradition in Africa.

I was touched, but things did not stop there. People told us that a school nearby was struggling, and that we should pay them a visit.

We were on our way to the school before even taking the time to think about it. There it was; outside the limit of the city of Ségou-Pelengana, literally at the door of the desert, in the middle of nowhere, there was a building. It was so damaged that one wondered how it was still standing.

This small building (it was a school) sheltered 199 children, three levels, first, second and third year. A studious silence reigned. The director of the school greeted us . He showed us around, told us the school's history and described their living and working conditions.

They had no water, electricity, doors, windows and almost no more roof. Some woven straw mats protected them from the burning sun and torrential rains during the rainy season.

The teachers used their mopeds as desks. Four to five children were squeezed on benches that were made for two, or were sitting on the floor. The blackboard was no bigger than a slateboard.

When I looked at their notebooks, tears came to my eyes. They were incredibly perfect, their writing was beautiful, no errors, no words were crossed out. It was as if these children were working under the best conditions.

I asked for details of their operation, their finances and their needs. We were told that the parents had to pay approximately a dollar per month per child to finance the wages of the teachers.

Suddenly, I looked at these children who were smiling at me and noticed that some of them had white lips, their eyes were lost in vagueness, defeat. The director told us that many of the children came to school on an empty stomach, but they could not do anything about it, as there were not enough resources, money and too little food.

It was more than I could stand. I asked to leave quickly. Something had to be done fast, right away. We bought mugs (one for each child). We bought bread, condensed milk, sugar and went back to the school to feed the kids. Several of them had never eaten bread in their entire life!

My decision was made! This was the place that needed our support, as quickly as possible. We had to create the conditions for these children to learn on a full stomach and give them a chance in life...

Since that day, Paul and I have fought to convince potential sponsors, prepare logistics and work on the administrative side as well. We had to fight against inertia ignorance and corruption all which kills the strongest will. We bought books, pencils, erasers and items of first necessity for the school.

Paul and I spent months trying to initiate a project scaled to the size of the task. At the beginning of 2009, Paul told me he would dedicate all of his time to make this project succeed. It became obvious that the only realistic option we had was to return to Mali, to Ségou…

We would have to spend all the needed time onsite in Mali, to make things finally happen. We would also need help, a lot of it, mostly financial. Even if the project is not huge, tens of thousands of dollars will be needed to restore this small school. We also want to feed the 200 children there.

There is also a water problem. The well is half dug with only 15 more meters to go. Digging had to stop because of the lack of resources. The children are obliged to walk several kilometers to seek water. They need doors, windows.

They need locks to stop thieves at night and during the school holidays. They need to repair the roof, buy blackboards, school furniture, basic supplies…etc. The first thing we had to do was to contact all of our friends, parents, all the people of goodwill to inform them of the dire situation.

We designed this website and initiated the creation of this Humanitarian Organization to communicate and also collect the necessary funds. We will also have to report our progress as to how the money is being used; consequently, this site will be the link between the sponsors, the members and the actors on the ground

Our will had to be faultless, since in addition to the distance, there is the relentless climate and incredible temperatures that one only reads of the books. Dust is omnipresent during the hot season and heavy rains during the rainy season…etc. In one word, we have to hurry since the time frame is very limited to initiate things and make progress in this sub-Saharan country.

We now need your assistance and your support. Explore this web site, look at the photographs, get informed, contact us. Let’s exchange ideas and words, but let’s move fast and as efficiently as possible.

We do not intend to save the African continent, or help millions of children. We are just going to help these few hundreds of small hearts who are depending so much on our help!

Can you only imagine the joy and the pride in our hearts, just to be able to think that “thanks to all of US”, 200 children will eat at least one meal a day, go to school and have a chance to look forward and ahead to a brighter future.