Since our first program this summer in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, we have recruited 22 out-of-school youth that we are preparing to reintegrate and sponsor to attend school in 2017. In our first program with these 22 youth, we partnered with Hope of Guinea. Over the course of three weeks, the youth studied English, Science and the Arts.
Now, MindLeaps has partnered with EDUGRADE to continue the rehabilitation of these youth and work with another 22 new youth. The group of 44 students is studying daily in IT and English classes while also participating in our dance program and receiving nutritional support. We also have a weekly program to visit the families that are responsible for these children.
On one day this month, a girl in our program said: “Since the day I was born, I have never touched a computer. I am really in a hurry to study and learn in these IT classes.”
As a Guinean, I feel true joy and happiness in my work when I hear such comments. The money doesn’t come from my pocket directly to help these children but from the pockets of supporters all around the world. I hope they know that – because of them – these children are realizing their dreams.
As an organization, we started conducting family visits so that we could better understand and address the family issues facing these youth. Some of these children’s parents are beggars. Some of them stopped going to school simply because their families couldn’t afford the nominal fees. Still others struggled to stay in school because they never actually learned how to read.
With the arrival of MindLeaps came a relief and a huge hope for these parents. They realize that our support is for their children as well as their family conditions so that the children can return safely to homes each and every night. This aid affects the morale of these parents. We see them expressing happiness and satisfaction in knowing they have a place with MindLeaps. This is important for our country because we need a foundation built on confidence and trust within our communities.
MindLeaps has started to help the most impoverished families in Conakry and we will not abandon these families.
There is nothing more wonderful for me as a Country Director than to see these children happier than they have ever been before in their lives.
Ansoumane Conde is the Country Director of MindLeaps Guinea.
A Special Thank You to The Riverside Sharing Fund for making the family support component of this program possible.