I admire the Malian woman greatly. I thought I was busy as I struggled to fulfill all that was expected of me as a wife, mother and manager in the workforce. I could not be more wrong. Malian women are much busier. Their day starts before the sun rises and continues much after the sun sets. They usually will work from 5 am to 11pm. They cook, clean, make sure their family’s needs are met, and some even work in the market. I can’t think of women that work harder than in this country. An initial meeting a week ago with the woman leaders brought to light a need among the women in the military camp. A mill. Therefore it gave me great pleasure to donate a mill to a woman group in a military camp.
Initial meeting with women group
The mill will help these women grind their own millet instead of going outside and paying someone else to do it. Also, with it being located within the camp, women won’t have to travel far to grind their millet. Millet is a key food in the Malian diet. The event started at 6 pm and was attended by all the women in the military compound from the young girls to the older women. The women’s committee welcomed me so warmly and with such great songs that I felt honored to be able to help. There were griots singing praises and welcoming the gift. Yeah spoke, welcoming the women to the event. He spoke about how he wanted change for the country and how when he became president, military families would receive greater benefits than they do today. He also spoke about how today’s children are so important and how education is essential to their success. Then we did the official ribbon cutting.
This was an awesome opportunity to celebrate the women in the military community. Also it gave women an opportunity to see what Yeah’s wife really looks like and what I stand for. It gave me the opportunity to get to know what their needs are. Women are the cornerstone of Malian society just like they are the cornerstone of the family. This was an effort to reduce some of the work these military women have on a daily basis. I was blessed with this great opportunity and here’s to many more opportunities like this.
Moving Mali Forward 