Yeah Samake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Niankoro Yéah Samaké
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 February 1969 (age 56) Ouélessébougou, Mali |
| Political party | Party for Civic and Patriotic Action |
| Spouse | Marissa Coutinho-Samaké |
| Children | Keanen Carmen KianaLyn |
| Residence | Ouélessébougou |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University (MPP) |
| Occupation | Politician and President of the Party of Patriotic and Civic Action in Mali; Field Director of Empower Mali Foundation; Former Mali Ambassador to India; Former Mayor of Ouélessébougou, Mali; |
| Known for | Former Mali Ambassador to India, 2013 and 2018 Presidential candidate Mali; Mayor of Ouélessébougou; Building schools and installing solar water systems in Mali; |
| Website | empowermali.org;yeahsamake.com; |
Niankoro Yéah Samaké (born 27 February 1969) is a leader and politician from Ouélessébougou, Mali. He has worked to improve life for people in his country. Samaké was the Ambassador for Mali to India. He was chosen for this important job in 2015. He is also the head of the Empower Mali Foundation. Before that, he was the mayor of his hometown, Ouélessébougou. Samaké also ran for president of Mali in 2013 and 2018.
Contents
Early life and education
Yéah Samaké was born in a small village called Ouélessébougou. He was the 8th of 18 children. His family was very poor. Samaké remembers his mother tying their stomachs to help with hunger. Even with little money, his father wanted all his children to go to school. This was special because only a few people in their area went to school. Samaké's father believed education was very important. He said, "My father knew we would feel deprivation from time to time, but the odds weren't with us, anyway. When I was growing up, it was hard to survive. 45% of Malian children would die from malaria, diarrhea, and preventable diseases. We knew the challenges of staying well, but we believed in our father's wise resolve to have us educated. He is a hero to me, and any sacrifices were worth it."
After high school in Bamako, Samaké studied to be an English teacher. He got a bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. After finishing school, he volunteered as a teacher in his village for three years. He also worked for the Ouélessébougou-Utah Alliance. This group helped improve health, education, and jobs in Mali. He also worked as a guide for the Peace Corps. This is how he met a couple from the United States. They were impressed by how hard he worked and how much he cared for his community.
Studying in the United States
The couple from the United States helped Samaké go to college there. He was accepted to Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2000. At BYU, he earned a master's degree in public policy. This degree teaches you how to make good decisions for the public. While at BYU, he met his wife, Marissa Coutinho. She was from India and was also studying at the university. Samaké also worked as an intern at the United Nations.
Career and politics
Yéah Samaké has held many important roles. He has worked to make life better for people in Mali.
Ambassador of Mali
In May 2015, Mali's President chose Samaké to be the country's Ambassador to India. An ambassador is a top diplomat who represents their country in another. Samaké was in charge of relations with 10 countries. These included India, Nepal, and Thailand.
As Ambassador, Samaké worked on many things. He focused on culture, farming, education, and solar energy. He helped create scholarships for Malian students to study in India and Bangladesh. He also helped train five rural Malian women in solar power. This helped them bring clean energy back to their villages. In January 2018, Samaké left his job as Ambassador to run for president.
Mayor of Ouélessébougou
Samaké was well-known for his work in development. In 2009, he decided to run for mayor of Ouélessébougou. The town had problems with corruption. Less than 10% of people were paying taxes. Samaké wanted to end corruption and make the government more open. He won the election with 86% of the votes.
As mayor, Samaké made big changes. Ouélessébougou went from being one of the worst-managed towns to one of the best. Tax collection rose from less than 10% to 68%. He also got more money from the government. This money helped build a new hospital and the first public high school in the area. He also helped build a new water system and a large solar panel field. This solar field was the biggest in West Africa. Samaké also helped get money to fix schools and buy supplies. He also helped bring medical and dental teams from the U.S. to help people.
Empower Mali Foundation
In 2013, Samaké started the Empower Mali Foundation. He became its Country Director. This organization helps rural communities in Mali. It focuses on education, healthcare, clean water, and clean energy. Empower Mali wants to teach people lasting skills. They work with communities to find problems and help pay for projects.
So far, Empower Mali has done a lot. They have built 21 middle schools and 24 water systems. They also built 8 homes for teachers and 2 electric playgrounds. They started a tablet program for schools. They also sponsored after-school programs in 16 poor schools in Bamako. These programs give children extra study help.
Mali Rising Foundation
After getting his master's degree, Samaké became the Executive Director of the Mali Rising Foundation. This group works to improve education for children in rural Mali. They build schools in villages that don't have any. They also train teachers and provide learning materials. Through this work, Samaké has helped build 17 schools. These schools serve over 2,500 students.
Political Party: PACP
In 2011, Samaké and his supporters created a political party. It is called the Party for Civic and Patriotic Action (PACP). This party was formed to support his run for president. The PACP believes in patriotism, good citizenship, freedom, and human rights.
Running for President
Samaké ran for president of Mali several times. He promised to fight corruption and give more power to local communities. He believed that local people should be trusted to help govern.
In 2012, an election was planned, but it did not happen. There was a military takeover of the government. Elections were then set for 2013. Samaké was a candidate in the 2013 Malian presidential election. He placed 16th out of 27 candidates.
He ran again in the 2018 Malian presidential election. He announced his plan to run in January 2018. He lost in the first round of voting. He then supported the current president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who won the election.
Personal life
Samaké is married to Marissa Coutinho-Samaké. They have three children: Keanen, Carmen, and KianaLyn. Marissa was born in Bahrain but is from India. She also studied at BYU. They got married in 2004.
Samaké and his family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He learned about the church through his work with the Peace Corps. He read a book called the Book of Mormon. He was baptized in 2000 in New York. He says he does not face any problems in Mali because of his faith.
