Dear Friends of Caravan to Class,

The news on Timbuktu and Mali continues to be an important part of the global news cycle.

Liberation of Timbuktu and Recent Events

Only days after the French liberated Timbuktu and much of Northern Mali, they reported that they would leave soon. However, as events have unfolded, they, and the rest of the world, have come to realize how tightly linked Ansar Dine, the group of Islamic militants that took over Northern Mali, was with Al Qaida. As a result, the French will likely not leave until either a UN peacekeeping force arrives or they are able to establish a very secure cordon in the north of the Sahara Desert.

Dear Friends of Caravan to Class,

I certainly did not expect to be sending an update only one month after my New Year's welcome e-mail on January 1, 2013. In that e-mail, I mentioned my strong desire to see the freedom of those in Northern Mali, particularly in Timbuktu, restored. Just as quickly and surprisingly as Timbuktu was taken over by the Islamic militants of Ansar Dine and MUJAO on April 1, 2012, it was remarkably and thankfully liberated by French forces on January 27, 2013.

Dear Friends of Caravan to Class,

First, I wish you, friend of Caravan to Class, a healthy and happy 2013. More than anything, in 2013, I wish my friends from the seven villages where Caravan to Class now has schools, a restoration of their liberty and a speedy return to their villages from their current status as refugees in camps in Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Dear friends,

First, I again thank you so much for your interest in and support for Caravan to Class and our mission of bringing literacy to the children of the one of the world's most illiterate areas, the Sahara Desert region of West Africa.

I would also like to apologize for the length of time since my last update. Ironically on April Fool's Day—just ten days after I departed Timbuktu, this fabled city was the last in Northern Mali to fall to the Islamic militants of Ansar Dine, a group linked to Al Qaeda. I was in Mali to see the progress of our schools, the new school we built in the village of Mora and to visit the additional schools that Caravan to Class was about to take responsibility for. On this trip, I was very inspired by the learning taking place in many of schools in the villages around Timbuktu and at the only Deaf School  in Northern Mali, all funded by Caravan to Class. In fact, on this trip Mr. Male Dioum joined Caravan to Class to sharpen our educational focus on literacy measurement and improvement.