“One of my pupils, aged 9, had already left for Kayes, 750 km from our village, to work in a gold mine, because of his family's economic situation. His father told me that if I could go to Kayes, he would allow his son to return to school. I borrowed money from my brothers (22,000 CFA francs, or 33 euros) to pay for the bus journey to Kayes. The boy was ready to go back to school. Today, he’s doing very well at school. I did this because these days, if you’re not educated, you’ve got nothing.” This testimony from Tiecoura Bagayoko, a 58-year-old Malian teacher at Faradje Bamaro school, is an inspiring example of the commitment and key role played by teachers and their unions through various projects to ensure that children go to and stay in school, not at work.