When Langley High School’s own French teacher went to Mali as a tourist back in 2011, she didn’t expect to adopt an entire family; but fate had other plans.
Madame Weiser decided to open her heart in 2011 to a family in need living in Mali. Ever since then, she has been sending donations abroad for the benefit of the Diarra family.
What Madame Weiser believes to be a small difference is anything but small to the family in Mali.
Her travels to Mali inspired her to help Monsieur Diarra, her chauffeur, and his family to pay for necessities that they were in need of on a daily basis. Mali is currently a war torn country and unsafe for tourists to visit which leaves little to no work for chauffeurs like Monsieur Diarra to provide for his family.
Madame Weiser realized how Monsieur Diarra’s family struggled on a daily basis, for he had a wife and four children to provide for as well as their grandmother, so she made a final decision to send the family as much money as she could raise every month.
Ever since, Madame Weiser has kept up her fund, and sells crêpes among other French desserts to support her cause. “We collect money by selling cookies, crêpes and we have a car wash run by the French Honor Society in June,” said Weiser.
During her trip, Madame Weiser volunteered as a French teacher at Mamadou Dollo, a school in Bandiagara, Mali. She was not only enthusiastic about teaching the children French, but was also fascinated by their native language, Bambara. “[My students] had a party for me and brought me a letter of things to buy since they did not have money. They told me we needed sugar and cake, and it was a grand total of $2,” said Madame Weiser, beaming.
A total of about fifteen children came to learn French from Madame Weiser, and in return, she would learn the basics of Bambara. During the time she was teaching in Mali, Madame Weiser would sleep in the yard in a tent. “The chickens would be around me when I woke up,” she laughed.
Madame also actively donates supplies to the Mamadou Dollo School, funded by collecting donations from friends, family and generous students at Langley.
Although the political situation of Mali has worsened over the years, Madame Weiser believes that her “stay in Mali and teaching in a school was very enriching.” Donations by Langley students are welcomed and appreciated in Madame Weiser’s room, 240, where you can find her selling crêpes for the cause.
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Photos courtesy of Madame Weiser