SALT LAKE CITY -- In the country of Mali only about 20 percent of women and about 36 percent of men are able to read and write, but some Utah business leaders are working to change those statistics.
The Utah chapter of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization donated $45,000 to the Mali Rising Foundation on Friday to fund the construction of a middle school in Mali. The Mali Rising Foundation was established in 2004, and since then they’ve built 16 middle schools in Mali.
Fred Johnson, president of the Utah chapter of The Entrepreneurs Organization, said the desire to learn is strong among people in Mali, but access to schools is limited.
"The thirst for learning that these kids have—we were at one school and there literally were kids sitting on the outside of the school peering through the windows trying to pick up little bits and pieces of information, so they could learn something that day."
To learn more about the Mali Rising Foundation, visit their website.
