Gilmore is working as a small enterprise development volunteer alongside fellow corps member and principal architect Mary Althoff. They plan to build a six-room schoolhouse using new building techniques that call for the use of locally available materials, local knowledge systems, and community involvement in all stages of the project.

Focus On Alumni: Kyle Gilmore: LSU Alumnus Brings Hope to the African Bush

"The romantic notion of living in Africa in the bush in a mud hut was a challenge I always wondered if I could conquer," admits Kyle Gilmore, a 2004 graduate of the LSU College of Arts & Sciences. In a remote village of Mali, West Africa, Gilmore is finding the courage and the passion to face that challenge, while he devotes his time to a goal larger than himself. His dedication to service coupled with his continuing attraction to Africa has led him to the Peace Corps where he is now volunteering to build a school that will drastically improve the educational prospects of the community's children.

Gilmore has a history of leaving his comfort zone to help communities in need. After graduation from LSU and a short stint as a video store manager, he returned to Baton Rouge to pursue a law degree. In the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused a change of plans. "My mother and one of my two sisters lost everything in the storm; they lived on the coast of Mississippi. So, I decided not to go to law school [so I could] help them and my community rebuild from the storm," he recalled. He took a job with FEMA putting temporary roofs on homes in Louisiana and Mississippi. In January 2006, Gilmore and a few friends began a small construction firm to rebuild hurricane ravaged homes.

In addition to his background in construction and service work, Gilmore's undergraduate studies fed an enduring interest in Africa. While pursuing degrees in history and political science, he was strongly influenced by Dr. Harry Mokeba, specialist in international relations and African government. Gilmore explained, "I always enjoyed learning about African politics, the colonization of Africa and the current struggle to climb out of the hole in which colonization left the African states." Now Gilmore is an active part of that struggle.

Gilmore is currently living among the Bambara people in Mali, West Africa. There is no electricity or running water in the village, and most families subsist on millet, corn, and peanut farming. The existing school consists of only two rooms made of sticks and leaves, which greatly limits the prospects of village children. First and second graders attend school in the morning, while third and fourth graders attend in the afternoon. There is no fifth and sixth grade rotation, making it nearly impossible for these children to complete their first cycle of education, much less go on to pursue higher education like high school and university. This exigency prompted the Peace Corps' Tongo Schoolhouse Construction Project, the plan that Gilmore is helping to make a reality.

Gilmore is working as a small enterprise development volunteer alongside fellow corps member and principal architect Mary Althoff. They plan to build a six-room schoolhouse using new building techniques that call for "the use of locally available materials, local knowledge systems, and community involvement in all stages of the project," according to the Peace Corps project record. Instead of importing expensive cement, the project involves mixing mostly local dirt with small amounts of cement to reduce both construction and transportation costs while increasing sustainability.

Their innovative approach also includes a rainwater harvesting system that will collect and conserve water to be used during the nine-month dry season, along with a children's garden and four outdoor composting latrines. Through creative, pioneering planning, Gilmore and Althoff are working to improve the educational forecast of the children of Mali. Due to the recent global economic downturn and Peace Corps budget cutbacks, the project that Gilmore and Althoff had hoped to begin in January has been delayed by a few months and is in need of support.

Gilmore is ardently working to make this conception a reality. The Tongo Schoolhouse Construction Project will not only improve the future of the children of Mali, West Africa, but also improve the everyday living conditions of all community residents.

By: Brittney Betbeze and Christine Pyle
Submitted by: Brenda Macon
Associate Director, Communications and Development
LSU College of Arts and Sciences
578.6906