Children of Mali – Education – Enfants du Mali is an ICO initiative located in Bamako, Mali’s capital in West Africa. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 178 out of 182 countries according to the UN Human Development Index. Most people live on less than $2 a day! Mali is unfortunately going through a very difficult period. The country is very unstable politically and many terrorist and separatist groups continue to commit acts of violence and the UN Peacekeeping Force has become the most dangerous one in the world. The government is trying to implement a peace treaty but with little success so far. The conflict is mainly located in the north of the country. This is where Timbuktu can be found. The northern area is a vast desert with borders shared with countries that are unstable themselves such as Libya and Algeria.
Bamako is located in the south and there is much less violence in that part of the country which have allowed us to continue supporting our initiative and even spending time there. Mali has a population of 17 000 000 people, with 2 000 000 living in the capital. Mali is mainly a Muslim country and most people still live in small villages living from subsistence farming based on traditional methods dating back hundreds of years.
Many people have come to Bamako hoping for a better future but there is little employment opportunities and most people who have moved to the capital live in a state of poverty.
Our initiative can be found in Sabalibougou, one of the poorest areas of Bamako. It benefits a dance troupe made up of approximately 30 children. They rehearse several times a week and receive training in dancing, singing, storytelling and drumming. Our focus is to help with their education. The children struggle at school where they are taught in French which is not used in their community, Bambara being the spoken language. In order for them to become more successful at school we have developed an after school tutoring program. Your kind donations will support training and wages for 2 tutors who are now delivering the program we have put in place. The children come to our centre called the ‘paillotte’ for their weekly dance practices as well as being tutored in French. In addition, as of Mar 15, 2021, under exceptional circumstances, we provide scholarships for troupe members who because of extreme poverty, are unable to go to school. The scholarship provides support by helping to cover the cost of school fees, school supplies and school uniform.
To read more about our Initiative Lead Yves and Field Lead Bintou click here.
For more information contact our Initiative Lead:
Yves Parizeau: yvesparizeau@innovativecommunities.org
Bintou Djitéye: bintoudjiteye@innovativecommunities.org
