Stories Of The Guinea Kids

At a recent GKEF meeting, Karim Koumbassa shared some news about how the Guinea Kids students are faring in their new school, Nimba Elisa.

Youssouf, Karim's 14 year old brother, asked to speak on the phone to Karim. After just a few months in his new school, Nimba Elisa, Youssouf began speaking in French, not Sousou, to Karim. He then said, in French, "Brother, let's talk. Can you speak English?" Karim was moved to tears that Youssouf was so proud of his new learning that he wanted to talk with him. About school, Youssouf said, "If we had started at school earlier, it would have been so great." He really likes his teachers and says, "They are good at teaching. They don't shout at us."

Kheraba is a quiet boy who didn't know how to read. He is shy and doesn't say much. Guinea Kids has been funding his schooling for a year and a half. No one in his neighborhood had any idea how smart he was! Out of all the children GKEF is sponsoring, Kheraba is doing the best in school and appears to have surprised everyone with his blossoming!

In this photo, Soumah, GKEF's new tutor, reads with Kheraba in the Homework Space. Soumah is working with the children this summer to get them caught up and ready for the next school year. So many of these children who have attended very little school or who have never been to school before GKEF's sponsorship have much extra work to do to be learning at the level of their age group peers. Providing quality tutoring for them has been and continues to be essential for their success and confidence in school. GKEF is so proud of all the work they are doing and is grateful to have a dedicated tutor in Soumah.

Young People Helping Young People

Guinea Kids would like to highlight an inspirational young person who took an opportunity to be moved into action by the world around her. 13 year old, Liki Berg, upon learning about GKEF and the children it supports, decided to hold her own fundraiser at her school, Twin Falls Middle School.

 

Together with her school Key Club, Liki made candy grams and sold them to raise money for GKEF.   The Key Club made a total of $150 selling candy grams and hope to do more with GKEF in the years to come.

Above are photos of Liki and her Key Club making the cards and holding up the check that was sent to GKEF.  What awesome young people! And thank you Twin Falls Middle School!

Here is more about Liki's story from her mother, Becky Berg:

 "I first heard about the Guinea Kids 

Education Fund last year from Sarah Lee's wonderful emails she sends about all that is going on in our community...she mentioned the benefit concert and I wanted to just do something to help after reading Marissa's amazing experience... I went with my boyfriend to the benefit concert and had a great time too!!! I mentioned this to my daughter Liki who was 12 years old (now 13) and who was involved with her Key Club in school at the time (now involved with much more after being so inspired to help by GKEF.)  Her letter attached explains how encouraged she has been by GKEF to help others and honestly made me cry when I read it:) Thank you to Marissa, Sarah Lee, Karim and their family for encouraging our family to help others!!!" ~ Becky Berg

A Letter From Liki to GKEF

Dear Sarah Lee,

The Guinea Kids Education Program has truly opened my eyes. It has brought me to realize that there are a lot of things in life that many people take for granted. I always thought that school was a burden and that there was no point in going. This has made me think of what I would do if I didn’t have school everyday, or rather what everyone else would do. Probably just sit at home on the couch and never know what was going on in the world. I now know that there are kids who can’t go to school and want to go so badly. It’s not fair for them to miss out on a life long experience. The GKEF helps turn a child’s life around and it gives a person great satisfaction to know that they helped make that happen.

What I did was not hard and something that anyone could do. I sold candy grams at my school with my key club. It’s something easy just like a bake sale or a garage sale. The point was that no mater how much or how little you do it all makes a difference in the end. My advice is to just do something you know and are good at weather it be a bake sale or a huge music festival. Where you start to first chose what you want to do and who you want do it for. Then all you have to do is go for it.

     Everyone should be open and aware of the ongoing world around them. Then everyone could see a better world. We could see unity, love and happiness all throughout the world if everyone contributed. I think that my purpose in life is to make someone else’s better, something I could never do if I didn’t know how. I want to be an inspiration to the people who follow me. I only hope that this is a goal I can reach.

 

Thanks-

Liki Berg

GKEF: New and Improved!

Guinea Kids: We're all about the learning! What a learning and growing process this has been for all of us involved. If there is one thing GKEF is committed to it is a quality education for all children and specifically for the students we support. And so, while recently visiting the children and their school, GKEF members from the US and Guinea determined that the current quality of education and overall experience at their school was not where we wanted it to be for our students. The school was able to make many improvements to their structure, but the children's actually learning became compromised.

What this continued learning has brought to light for GKEF is what is truly at the core of our mission statement; the children. Plain and simple, we are all passionate about these 20 children whom we have begun on this journey; and seeing them through as much of their school education as we can. After careful consideration and discussion between members and the school, it was decided to move the students to a new school, Nimba Elisa, and to

focus our funds on sending them to school and the success of their learning.

Nimba Elisa is a school that offers a full education for students and carefully tested each of our students to ensure that they were being placed at the level where they would best be served. We were impressed by their organized infrastructure and that children are learning both French and English there. Plus the school is still within walking distance for the children in the neighborhood of Enco-5. 

(Photos by Ilona Berzups. All rights reserved 2009)

Here are some links to videos taken at the Nimba Elisa School:

English Class

The Little Ones

Counting

But let me also tell you about a true angel that has emerged among us: Alya Koumbassa. Alya is brother to Karim Koumbassa, my friend, and Alya is the person who manages this whole project in Guinea all year. Alya went above and beyond the call of duty this past year and created a place in his family's own front yard where the children can come and receive tutoring and do homework everyday. 

He actually built a simple structure with a partial roof and added a black-board. He hired a tutor for last summer, but much of the time he is the one tutoring the children. But here is the really cool part. The 20 children GKEF sends to school come for tutoring, but then there are all these other children in the neighborhood who come round to see what's happening and they end up learning stuff, too! The Koumbassa home has always been a gathering place in their neighborhood, but now even more so. One GKEF member described the homework place with, "It's becoming like a community center for the neighborhood."

(Photo by Dawn Isaacs 2009)

Updates from Guinea and GKEF Art Cards For Sale at FABRIC OF LIFE BOUTIQUE!

Hello Everyone! Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
I have been finding much inspiration in the words of this great man lately, and, so, I offer these:

"This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you for joining Guinea Kids in "worldwide fellowship." Guinea Kids Education Fund (GKEF) currently has members, Sarah Lee and Karim Koumbassa and Ilona Berzups, in Guinea who are visiting with the Sabadou school community and checking in with their building progress and the well-being of the students at the school. Thanks to GKEF donations, the school now has new classrooms and bathrooms. A portion of the funds from this year's benefit concert will go toward fulfilling the needs of the school. We will soon have more information on what those needs are. But the majority of the money will continue to sponsor the 20 students. The top priority for GKEF is to ensure these 20 students a complete education. Thus far we have the funds to provide 4 years of schooling of which they are in their second year.

Back in Seattle, GKEF members, Marissa Baratian and Kim Copeland, organized a project at the schools where they teach to have their students make friendship bracelets for the students at Sabadou. These bracelets, plus a photo album of Seattle students and GKEF events of the past year, were sent to share with the Sabadou school in an effort toward that "worldwide fellowship."

We will have more current photos of the school and students in Guinea once GKEF's members return.

This year one of the most exciting happenings for GKEF has been a partnership with Fabric of Life Foundation.

"Our projects focus on improving the quality of life for women and their families through sustainable, appropriate technology that respects and honors local traditions and cultures. Our philosophy is to form cooperative partnerships that promote self-help and that build people's self-esteem and independence." - www.fabricoflife.org

I highly recommend checking out their website and their store in Edmonds, Wa.  Along with mouth-watering gorgeous handmade fabrics from Mali, West Africa, they are currently selling GKEF Art Cards with collaborative artwork by the students of Sabadou School in Guinea and New Discovery School in Seattle! A portion of the proceeds goes back to GKEF! Check out a sample of these beautiful cards:

Fabric of Life Boutique
now open!

Tuesday-Saturday 10:30am-4:30pm
523 Main Street
Edmonds, WA. 98020
Phone: 425.563.3925

More Photos from Guinea Kids Benefit Concert

Photos by Ilona Berzups. (c) 2008 All rights reserved

GUINEA KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT!!

Photos by Ilona Berzups. (c) 2008 All rights reserved

...Was an amazing experience of friends and community and children coming together to support broadening the life opportunities for children around the world! WE HAVE RAISED NEARLY $6000 TO DATE from this year's event!!! The concert was truly a beautiful thing. The space was transformed into a gorgeous African dream. There were exciting things to browse and buy including Guinea and Seattle Kid's Collaborative Art Cards. There were yummy things to taste including fried plantains and ginger juice.

The children's dancing was a highlight for me. Their bright spirit's shone on stage and their joy was infectious. Some of the children even got the treat of dancing to live drumming when we had a sound glich. Hey, even better...we had the real live thing instead of recorded music. I loved it!

The photos and information about Guinea added a deeper understanding of this amazing place that has captured the interest and love of so many of us. Probably the best feedback I received about the event was a woman who said that it made her want to go to Guinea and that she appreciated that the event expressed not just the poverty of the place, but the joy and beauty of Guinea equally. To convey that aspect was so important to all of us involved. I am so gratified that it came through.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all involved, all contributors, and all who continue to keep this light alive with me.

Marissa

GUINEA KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT!!

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 2008
4-6pm
(Showtime 4:30pm)
Immanuel Lutheran Church Parish Hall
1215 Thomas Street, Seattle, WA 98109

RSVP at: http://gkef-concert-08-emailinvite.eventbrite.com/?invite=Nzk1OTUvbWFyaXNzYWRhbmNpbmdAZ21haWwuY29tLzA%3D%0A


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