North Carolina man plans to use his $100,000 lottery prize to build classrooms in Mali

(CNN) — A North Carolina man is planning to use his $100,000 lottery prize to help build classrooms for children in his hometown in Mali.

“I grew up in a tough way,” said Souleymane Sana, the 39-year-old dance instructor and New Bern resident. That’s part of what drove him to purchase a $30 Millionaire Maker ticket, Sana told the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Now he wants to use his winnings, about $71,259 after tax withholdings, to help children who are growing up in similar circumstances in the West African nation.

“They don’t even have a desk to sit (at),” Sana said. “They have to walk miles and miles to come.”

Sana has created a non-profit to help the residents of Mali, according to a state lottery news release. In addition to building classrooms, Sana said he plans to use the money to start building a dance center for children.

“I love to dance and I want to teach the children in Mali to love it too,” he said. “If you talk about culture and you talk about education, they both go together.”

“My dream is just becoming true little by little and I hope it will keep going,” he added.

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