North Carolina Lottery-Winner Plans To Open School In Mali With $100K Scratch-Off

Souleymane Sana from North Carolina hit the lottery jackpot and is now making big international plans.

Sana spent $30 on a Millionaire Maker scratch-off ticket and won $100,000. With his prize money, Sana is hoping to build more schools in his native country of Mali, Insider reports. Now living in the small town of New Bern, the dance instructor says this is his dream. “I’m going to keep doing my best to help build more classrooms for the children in Mali,” Sana said. “That is the thing that makes me really happy.”

For Souleymane Sana, a #NewBern resident and native of #Mali, a $100,000 Millionaire Maker scratch-off win will give him the chance to help schoolchildren from his hometown! Check out the video of Sana telling his story. #NCLottery https://t.co/KY4lKvBLkH pic.twitter.com/0nTprUxuK9

— NC Education Lottery (@nclottery) May 19, 2023

The North Carolina Education Lottery posted a touching video on Twitter of Sana telling his story and explaining how his winnings will help students in his native country. “These schools don’t even have a classroom; they don’t have a desk to sit,” Sana recalls. “They have to walk miles and miles to come.”

According to the press release, Sana purchased the ticket from Neuse Shop & Fuel on West New Bern Road in Kinston. The 39-year-old opted for the lump-sum option, and after state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $71,259 at the lottery headquarters. The lottery can raise $2.5 million a day with scratch-off ticket purchases.

He started a nonprofit designed to help the residents of the West African country and now plans to use the money to build 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.”