Ouelessebougou (way-less-eh-boo-goo) is a region of 72 villages in the African country of Mali.  Ouelessebougou is also the name of the largest town in the region.

Mali has a population of 1.1 million people and is perhaps best known for the town Timbuktu.  Mali is home to the Sahara desert, which covers 58% of the country.  The rest is classified as savannah, which refers to grasslands with a few scattered trees.

Mali's per capital GNI (gross national income) is $240 compared to the US capita GNI of $34,260. Mali's most precious asset is possibly social capital. Social capital is very different from financial capital. Social capital refers to cultural, spiritual and human values, where human relationships are valued more than individual wealth. From this perspective, Mali is very much a "poor country with rich people."

This teaching kit was created by the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance (OUA). The OUA was founded in 1985 by a group of Utah's community leaders who were concerned about the devastating drought in North Africa during the 1980's. The OUA was structured to give Utahns the opportunity to serve a specific African community knowing that their assistance was going directly to the people for whom it was intended.

The teaching kit contains:

• Actual examples of tools, clothing and other artifacts representative of the cultures of North Africa
• Jewelry, mud cloth, and BouBou (boo-booze), the traditional type of clothing worn in Mali
• Educational video tape
• Posters and handouts
• Lesson plans and activities

At this time there are no online resources available for this teaching kit.

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