Man In US Wins Over Rs 82,00,000 In Lottery, Pledges To Fund Classrooms In War-Torn Mali

In most cases, winning the lottery and taking home a sizable sum of money allows a person to fulfil their requirements and ambitions.

But for Souleymane Sana, a New Bern resident and native of Mali, Africa, a $100,000 (Rs 82,81,000) scratch-off win will give him the chance to help schoolchildren in his hometown.

"I'm going to keep doing my best to help build more classrooms for the children in Mali. That is the thing that makes me really happy," he said.

Mr. Sana said that he started a nonprofit organisation to help the people in his own country.

"This was my dream. That was one of the main reasons I bought that scratch ticket-to be able to keep helping them," Mr Sana said.

The North Carolina lottery stated in a release that "Sana, a 39-year-old dance instructor, purchased his $30 Millionaire Maker ticket from Neuse Shop & Fuel on West New Bern Road in Kinston."

He collected his prize at lottery headquarters and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,259.

"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. Some of the money is going to be used to start building a dance centre there."

"My dream is just becoming true little by little, and I hope it will keep going," Mr Sana said.