Laura Bush and first lady Toure Lobbo Traore of Mali, left, meet with students and teachers at the Nelson Mandela Primary School Complex on Friday, June 29, in Bamako, Mali. The United States is partnering with African nations in the Africa Education Initiative, a $600 million investment that will provide 550,000 scholarships to African children and train more than 900,000 teachers by 2010.

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Credit: Shealah Craighead