Where I do my homework

In Mali, one in two girls is married before she turns 18. Fatoumata Goita, 12 years old, from Sikasso, is lucky to go to school. From a family of land farmers, she’s a hard working student who wants to become a pharmacist. “I learn my lessons after class at school or at home,” she says.

Oumou Goita, 10 years old (left) and Amidou Goita, 9 years old (right), do their homework under a tree near their school in Yorosso town, Mali.

Oumou says: “I like to learn my lessons under the mango tree close to my house, because it’s cooler here than inside. My favorite subject is mathematics.”

Amidou’s dream is to become a teacher. “It’s cooler under the tree, this is why I enjoy studying there. I love going to school and that’s how I will get a good job in the future.”

Assetou Goita, 12, (right) and her classmate Mathieu Sangare, 11, (left) love studying next to the pond.

Assetou says: “I do my homework here because it’s cool and quiet. I study at home as well, but I prefer coming here because there’s no noise here.”

“I’m studying geography,” says Mathieu. “I love coming here. I enjoy silence.”

Lami Dambale, 9 years old, studies on a street of Koutiala city by the light of a closed shop. “I study here because I can have more light than at home. What I enjoy most is mathematics. I want to become a car mechanic.”

Colette and Leon Dara, both 7, sit side by side to study together in their courtyard. They lost their father, a retailer, two days ago. Leon, explaining his favorite subject is mathematics, counts “1, 2, 3.” His sister says she enjoys learning texts by heart.

Oumou Djenebo, 6 years old, wants to become a teacher. “A, B, C” she recites, writing alphabet letters on a small blackboard on the wall of her house. “I really like using this blackboard in the courtyard. I can write and read a little bit now.”

Aissata Djenebo, 7 years old, is a fish seller’s daughter: “I’m learning my lessons at home. I like to be with my family when I study.”

In the central region of Mopti, Seydou Keita, 10 years old, who lost his father during the armed conflict, likes to study next to his mother. “My mother sells fish every evening in front of the house. I like to be close to her.”

Seydou’s mother Aissata Diallo follows his education closely: “I really want my son to be educated. I can’t teach him myself because I didn’t have a chance to receive an education, but I can make sure he’s doing his homework and learning his lessons.”

Amadou Dicko, 10 years old, has a true passion for learning. His father is a driver and his mother sells charcoal. To the question “What will you do when you’ll finish your education?” he replies: “I will study more! I want to study as much as I can. I learn my lessons because I want to progress and succeed in school. When I’ll be a grown-up, I’ll work in an office. What I like the most is reading.”

In Koulikoro region, Koniba Coulibaly, 13 years old, is in fifth grade. His mother makes a living by collecting wood and his father is a fortune teller. “I study here every day. My school is not far from my house. What I love the most is learning French.”

Assitan, 12 years old, studies chemistry and physics under the mango trees next to her house. She loves History and Geography above all, and dreams of becoming a Minister. “I want to defend women’s rights,” she says. Her father is academic inspector and her mother is a teacher.

“I study in nature because I love trees and grass. It’s quiet here.”

Mamadou Keita, 11 years old, studies at home when it rains. “I come close to the window so I can get some light. I want to study because one day, I’ll be a Minister. It is a great job to help people building houses and roads and celebrate weddings.”