Have you been to Ouelessebougou in the Past Twenty-four Years? If so, You have definitely seen or known this man.

Sekouba Traore has been working for the Ouelessebougou Alliance as a groundskeeper for 24 years. Nowadays, he is the longest serving employee at the Alliance both in Utah and in Ouelessebougou. He always serves with a smile and joy. How did this amazing man, Sekouba join the Alliance?

Sekouba Traore has been working for the Ouelessebougou Alliance as a groundskeeper for 24 years. Nowadays, he is the longest-serving employee at the Alliance both in Utah and in Ouelessebougou. He always serves with a smile and joy. How did this amazing man, Sekouba join the Alliance?

He heard about the Ouelessebougou Alliance through his mother—Nakany, who lived a block from the Alliance’s compound in Ouelessebougou. Every morning, Sekouba’s mother—Nakany would come and draw water from the Alliance’s office wells. His family’s wells usually dried out in the dry seasons and the Alliance’s wells never dried out because it was very deep. At that moment, the first Field Director of the Alliance, Modibo Diarra slept in the compound.

When Nakany came to the Alliance compound early in the morning to get water from the wells, she found that Modibo was always collected the garbage and swept the floor. She voluntarily and kindly helped Modibo to sweep the floor. Once she was so tied, she would often send her son, Sekouba to come to the Alliance to sweep the compound, clean the offices, and fill the water jar. He did that work for many years before the Alliance decided to hire him as a groundskeeper.

Mortimer was thrilled with his work and the Alliance hired him in 1996 as a groundskeeper. His responsibilities are to sweep the yard, clean the offices, and filling out the water jars. Additionally, he washes really by hands our expedition clothes and does other hygiene and sanitation tasks in the Ouelessebougou office.  

Prior to the Alliance, Sekouba was his parents’ cook, and household worker, particularly his mother, Nakany, who was physically handicapped and his father, Yoro, who was very old. Sekouba was his parents everything. He pounded their millet, cleaned their houses, and even cooked for his parents even though cooking was considered as a woman’s task in Malian culture. It was rarely to see a man cooking as this blessed man. He is a blessed man who took care of his parents until their last days on earth. This man even went to the bushes and collected firewood and grew crops for his parents: Yoro and Nakany.

The Impact of the Ouelessebougou Alliance on Sekouba and his family

Thanks to the work of the Alliance, Sekouba was able to marry a woman, purchase land, and build a house. The Alliance staff play an important role in his life. They are like the members of his family since his parents passed away. The Alliance local staff helped him and found a wife after his parents passed away. Some wonderful and caring and generous donors of the Alliance gave some money to Sekouba to buy land and build his house for his family.

Sadly, Sekouba’s first wife, Safiatou Mariko passed away. The Alliance raised some money to help him out and some of those funds were used to marry a second wife.  As the head of his family, he is able to feed his family regularly, pay his children school enrollment and fees, and pay their clothes and medical bills. Additionally, thanks to the Alliance, he was able to take a loan from the bank in Ouelessebougou to purchase a grounding mill for his little brother, Nama Traore.

Sekouba is a naturally nice, patient and hardworking man that the Alliance and its visitors are lucky to have in the Ouelessebougou office. It is very rare to see Sekouba is angry and falls ill. He likes people, cares about his colleagues, family — and others. He respects everyone and wants to help whenever there is a need. When he has to do something, he does it without being reminded.

We all love Sekouba and are grateful for his long service with a smile.