The application process for securing financial aid is
pretty involved and complex.
First, I had to print out a bunch of forms in a
country full of fickle electronics, which took several attempts with three
different printers before most (but not all) required pages were secured. At
some point, I had to simply give up, and recopy some of the documents by hand.
Once finished, the application was a grand total of 66 pages.
Second, I went to the school director’s compound in a
nearby village to talk about the program and to gage his interest in the
project. In addition to being extremely welcoming, he was very enthusiastic indeed.
I told him about the application process and his role in it. I also set some
very strict deadlines, seeing as the finished application must be handed in by
the beginning of July. I left the candidate selection process to him and his
colleagues, emphasizing only that candidates must demonstrate both need and
merit.
Third, I met I met with the candidates at the Arabic
school in Dassilami Soce for the first time. My Mandinka isn’t good enough yet,
and the girls don’t speak any French, so I had to have the school’s French
teacher help me translate Mandinka into French. Also present were two Arabic
teachers and the director. Together we were incredibly efficient. In the space
of a morning, we took down basic information about the girls, interviewed each
of them, and had them write a personal essay.
Fourth, I wrote volunteer evaluations for each of the
candidates, describing if and why I recommended her for the scholarship. Though
some girls were more memorable than others, I recommended or highly recommended
all of them, simply based on merit and need. I tried to give the selection
committee a brief but personalized portrait of each girl.
Finally, I took down the school’s basic information,
and wrote a brief description of the activities I’d like to organize with the
girls over the course of the next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment