The Benkadi Project is an effort to provide educational opportunities for children in Sangbaralla, Famoudou Konate’s home village in Guinea. Sangbaralla is a village of approximately 2,000 people located on the banks of the Niger River in the Hamanah region, a twelve-hour drive from the capital city of Conakry. The people in the region belong to the Malinke ethnic group, which has a rich history and cultural tradition, including the original development of the djembe drum and its orchestra. Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita annual income of $500. Most people are earning less than $1 per day. People in Guinea lack access to basic nutrition, health care and educational resources. Life expectancy is 46 years and only 36% of the adult population can read and write. While about half of all men are literate, only about 1 in 5 women have any basic literacy skills. Literacy rates in the country’s rural areas are even lower due to an almost complete absence of educational opportunities for children. Famoudou Konate and the people of Sangbaralla have a deep commitment to providing a better future for children in their village. In the early 90's a small schoolhouse was built with donations from the United States. Up until this time, no child in the village had any opportunity to attend school, to gain the ability to read and write, learn French (the language of business and politics in Guinea) or to learn about the world outside of their small, isolated village. The government of Guinea sent two young schoolteachers to live in Sangbaralla and teach at the school. Since then, 140 children in the village have been enrolled in the 1st through 6th grades each year. The teachers are very proud of the fact that forty percent of the children at the school are female. While the small Sangbaralla School had been a great asset to the children and families of the village, it school could not meet the needs of the hundreds of children who would like to attend. With just three small classrooms, the school was at full capacity and could not accommodate the 140 additional children whose families would like them to receive an education. The school had few educational materials, and not enough books, notebooks and pencils to support the children’s basic educational achievement. Although the government provided the teaching staff for school, they are rarely paid their monthly salary of $25 US each. The Benkadi Project is a partnership between the village of Sangbaralla, Famoudou Konate and co-founders of the project, Helen Bond and Amy Lusk. “Benkadi” is a Malinke word which translated means “To live together is very good.” The goal of the Benkadi Project is to expand educational opportunities for children in Sangbaralla by building an addition to the existing school that will ensure that those families who want their children to receive an education can do so. Since the successful completion of an additional school house for the village, the Benkadi Project has continued to take on other projects for Sangbaralla. In addition, we have expanded the project to include project assistance to a neighboring village of Senekoro. Future plans of the project also include opening a new project in the village of Menkine which is a couple hours north of the capital of Conakry. The Benkadi Project continues to maintain the new school house in Sangbaralla completed 2005. We also make annual donations of school materials to the teachers and students. It is the great success of the school house that has allowed us to continue our efforts. Another huge successful project was to take the village from one working well and a broken well to four working wells which was completed in the spring of 2007. This was such a huge accomplishment that everyone was stunned that we were able to actually do it. In January 2008, we repaired a broken well in Senekoro which provided the only potable drinking water for their village. In addition, over the years we have purchased medical supplies, paid for medical procedures, purchased livestock and bicycles. The new project for 2008, building of a school dining house, is well underway and expected to be completed at the end of 2008. Further project plans include the building of a youth center in Sangbaralla. The village wants to preserve and continue the music and dance of their culture. This will give the children a sheltered place where they can play their music and practice for performances. Another project plan under way is to support the village of Menkine a small village north of Conakry. Each year we meet with the elders of the villages and our project advisors to see what their needs are. They are completely capable of doing the work they simply lack the funds to purchase the materials. Through the work of the Benkadi Project we are able to help person to person, hand to hand, heart to heart. To make a donation to the Benkadi Project, please contact Helen Bond (helen@medusadrums.com). Because of the economic conditions in Guinea, every single US dollar can make a tremendous difference in the lives of the children of Sangbaralla village. Click here to download the Benkadi Donation Card School Building was completed February 2005!!! "It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than watch it accumulate. " -Gloria Steinem