In Mali, where literacy rates are a challenging 31%, it is particularly lower among orphans who often resort to begging on the streets. The prevailing difficulties are further compounded in the insecure northern regions of Mali. Empower Mali collaborated with the local organization, Association for the Support of Orphans in the Sahel (ASSOS), which aids orphaned children attending schools in the urban municipality of Tombouctou. The funds generously donated by the David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation were used to purchase 5,000 notebooks for orphans in the Tombouctou Region.