Newsletter from the Swiss Blue Community Kene Elou Te and its partner in Mali, the Réseau Ecole RadioChico RERC:
Dear members, dear friends of KeneElouTe,
World Peace Week in September reminded us how important genuine, active peace work is.
In Dogonland in Mali, we were able to put this idea into practice: a project that is creating peace today – by bringing water, hope and community.
A place that was once characterised by insecurity has now become a peaceful place thanks to our project.
One hundred children have access to clean water, the village community works together – and a small ‘peace garden’ is being created.
While the water began to flow in Mali, our reading promotion project took place in Aarberg at the end of November – a creative space where children could discover their own voices through stories, sound and imagination.
Warm regards, Annemarie Koch on behalf of the KeneElouEe team
“Ama Birepo – A word of thanks, honour, joy or blessing…
“This access to water brings peace, hope and spirituality back for future generations.
My father gave me the task of serving our village and bringing joy to the children – today, that joy has returned.
On 27 November, the first drops of water in the children’s hands were a true blessing.”
Souleymane Guindo, Project Manager
“I have never experienced anything like this in my entire career.
The whole village – especially the children – gathered to witness this moment.
Souleymane’s courage and dedication touched me deeply.
The Hogon honoured me with a traditional boubou – a gift more precious to me than gold.
I hope that many more villages in Mali will receive such a gift.”
Mohamed Gadiaga – Technical Director of Well Construction
The Hogon – spiritual leader
The Hogon – spiritual leader“On behalf of our ancestors, I thank you for this precious gift.
Today we have water – and with it, food and peace.
Bravo to Souleymane, a worthy son of our village.
May the blessings of our ancestors rest upon you and your partners.
Amabire pô – thank God.”
The mayor of Kani-Bonzon
“On behalf of the community, we would like to thank KeneElouTe for this precious gift.
The children’s joy brings peace to our community.
Souleymane and Mohamed have exceeded our expectations – it is the largest and most professional well construction in our district.
Telly is now a happy and peaceful village.
This joy was so palpable that even people from neighbouring villages walked up to 10 kilometres to celebrate this peace, this miracle. Their curiosity and their desire to have such a project in their own villages was clearly audible – a true cry from the heart.”
A small tree has grown from the tamarind seed from the Kambila project, and this is now the symbol of the forest garden in Telly.
On the way back to Kambila – two men who, with heart and
dedication, ensured that the Dogon garden could be created in the first place.
They are beaming…
On the bus, they imagine how one day even more islands of peace will emerge in Dogon country – indeed, throughout Mali:
more wells, more forest gardens and more children who will have access to water, peace and a future. Their joy is contagious, their commitment far-reaching.
A new beginning full of confidence – for the children, for nature and for everything that may yet come.
Back in Kambila
There is also good news in Kambila:
The onions and lettuce have grown well in the forest garden – and the chickens and the proud rooster are doing well.
Mane and Ali took wonderful care of Moussa and the forest garden during Souleymane’s absence.
Everything is thriving, growing and developing – a quiet, steady sign that the project is alive.
A small sign of how much can grow when people with
heart stand together.
And while the water began to flow in Mali, children in Aarberg listened to their own words…
26 and 28 November – Reading promotion project in class 5b in Aarberg
I took part in the reading promotion project with my Year 5 class over two mornings. The book ‘Unglaubliche Weihnachten’ (Unbelievable Christmas) by Renus Berbig was chosen as the text to be read aloud. Each child was given a text approximately A4 in length and was able to practise reading it at home and in class. We prepared well for the project as a class, and by the end, some of the children knew their text almost by heart. Although the reading levels in the class vary greatly and about two-thirds of the children do not particularly enjoy reading aloud, their motivation was noticeably high. Every child tried to read their text as fluently and excitingly as possible.
My class was accompanied by Yamin and Martin. They both did a fantastic job. They were very efficient, patient, well organised and have a very pleasant way of working with children. My class clearly had a lot of fun editing the audio track and I can well imagine taking part in a similar project again. Reading is of central importance to me at school, not just in the subject of ‘German’.
I am convinced that such a project contributes significantly to the children’s motivation to read and their reading skills. Many thanks to the entire Kene-Elou-Te team for the opportunity to promote the enjoyment of reading in this way.
Lars Herren and class 5b
Yamin and I successfully carried out a reading promotion project over two half-days in a Year 5 primary school class with 24 children. The pupils were well prepared and worked with great enthusiasm. I was particularly pleased that they helped each other without hesitation when editing the audio file on the computer.
One pupil initially said: ‘Do we have to edit the recordings on the computer? I hate computers!’ A little later, she came back and said she would now like to help her classmates with the editing…
Martin Gygax – Reading promotion/radio plays
Working with these motivated and curious children was a real highlight.
We immersed ourselves in Christmas stories with a great deal of creativity, playfully strengthening their reading skills in the process.
At first, some of the children were a little daunted by the task of editing the audio files – but after a short while, they were helping each other and working enthusiastically on the computers.
For me, this project was a great success and an unforgettable experience, as well as a wonderful example of how children can surpass themselves through joy and trust.
Yamin Frey – School projects
Crowdfunding – Why we need your support
In order for all these stories to continue – the shining eyes of the children in Dogonland, the voices of the children on the radio, the audio plays, the videos, the website – we also need a strong foundation here in Switzerland.
Yamin accompanies our audio projects with a lot of heart and skill. And it is precisely this work in Switzerland that makes our projects in Mali audible and visible.
Without the Swiss project, many of these voices would not exist:
No audio plays – no team of child reporters – no website where we can share all of this.
So that we can continue to build this bridge – from Aarberg to Dogonland – we have launched our new local hero crowdfunding campaign.
Every contribution gives our children’s projects valuable momentum.
Many thanks & outlook
Thank you!
You have made it possible for us to implement so many projects again this year.
Without your support, there would be no water flowing in Dogonland today – and our Swiss projects would not be possible either.
Please help us to make our work even better known – in Mali as well as in Switzerland.
Together, we can further expand the projects and give even more children hope and a future.
You can find out more about us and the latest news on the BlueCommunity website.
And, of course, we provide regular updates on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
