In late May, Siraba School 5th and 6th graders joined Piébougou Middle School students for a Career Day focused on trades – “La Conférence Sur Le Métier” – organized by Hawa Haidara, our Health Education consultant. Hawa’s goals were to “link school to life” – to inspire students, expose them to possible paths for their futures, and to reduce attrition by showing students potential opportunities after they complete middle school.

Piébougou 9th graders now are in the midst of taking the 4-day national DEF exams, which the Mali government uses to place students either into “lycée” (high school) or trade school. Very few students nationally pass these exams. (We are very proud of Siraba School graduates who have done so!) There are several types of trade schools that admit students who completed middle school but did not pass the DEF exam, and other trades are taught via apprenticeship. We want Siraba School students to understand that there are many paths open to them, that completing more years of schooling increases those opportunities, and that all of The Siraba School Village team encourages and supports them to explore their options.

The Career Day panelists introduced themselves; explained the work they do and its advantages; described how old they were when they started; if they learned their skills from a relative, through apprenticeship, or went to trade school; and how many employees or apprentices they support today.  Speakers included:

• Adama who has a motorcycle repair business in Piébougou
• Mr. Samaké, a mason from Ouéléssébougou
• Fatoumata, Siraba School’s preschool teacher who hand-makes household linens
• 2 Piébougou teachers: Mr. Sidibé, a math teacher who repairs cellphones and Mr. Samake who teaches French and is a woodworker
• Mr. Traoré, the Piébougou school director who is also a fashion designer with a workshop in Ouéléssébougou
• Sanou, the former Piébougou Director who now works for the government education agency CAP
• Hawa also introduced Amadou, a field agent of the Mali NGO APSEF that works to promote the rights of children and families (he was visiting the middle school that day and asked to contribute)
• Hawa and Sanou spoke to the students about other trades, including the various kinds of trade schools that are in Ouéléssébougou, some of which are attended by Siraba School graduates.  They wanted to ensure the students got a well-rounded perspective about many different types of jobs and opportunities.

The large majority of working adults in Dagabo are farmers.  Siraba School students also see work done by teachers and doctors, but they are not otherwise exposed to a variety of professions, nor to the paths that are taken to get to those jobs. We are grateful to Hawa and all the Career Day speakers for providing insight and inspiration to these students.