Powerful Words of Appreciation

“Neither the light of the sun nor the light of the moon is as bright as the light of knowledge brought to this village today by Tiborko Sanogo!”

–A powerful statement made by Yaya Kone, Wuyanion Cooperative member, at the end of a six-day training on sustainable sheep farming in Lofine, Mali.

Yaya was one of 32 participants of hands-on training provided by volunteer Judith Moses, under the USAID-funded Mali Agricultural Value Enhancement Network (MAVEN) program. In a show of respect and appreciation, training participants gave Judy a Malian name, Tiborko Sanogo, which means “our sister.” Both Judy and the participants left the training enlightened and stronger than they were before.

Yaya’s words are powerful words of appreciation, fitting for this week as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. We are all forever grateful for the contributions of our hardworking volunteers AND our hardworking hosts & beneficiaries in the countries in which we work.

Happy Thanksgiving!