Aissata is just one of the over 160,000 children in Mali who would not have had the opportunity to attend school were it not for USAID’s program of supporting parents and communities in the establishment of safe, effective schools that are close to home.

Aissata Garba walks with a crutch to support her paralyzed right leg. She had long dreamed of going to school but her handicap prevented her from walking the 8 kilometers necessary to reach the nearest school in Tassakan. When the first school in her village of Toya was opened in 1999 with USAID help, Aissata was 10-years-old—one year older than permitted by the entrance regulations.

Nonetheless, Aissata, who is known for her moral strength and determination, was accepted. She has continued to attend school and in 2003, entered her fourth year at Toya Community School. She is one of the best students in her class, and forever grateful for the opportunity to attend school.