Mali
In Mali, HI runs projects to help strengthen the resilience of populations affected by conflicts, to promote sustainable and inclusive development and to support inclusive education initiatives.
Transporting humanitarian goods by road. | © T. N'Daou / HI
Our actions
In the concerning security context, HI supports victims of the conflict and defends the rights to health, education and vocational inclusion of people with disabilities.
The program is currently implementing both humanitarian and development activities in the regions of Sikasso, Bamako, Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao. These activities are wide-ranging and include functional and physical rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support, education on the risks of explosive devices and assistance to the victims of armed conflict.
The program further supports the improvement of health centers and care provision for pregnant women, with a view to making these services accessible to all. HI’s teams also work with young children with multiple disabilities and malnutrition, providing them with comprehensive care and helping communities to set up stimulation activities.
To enable all children to have access to education, HI is strengthening the capacities and providing training to education staff to help them include children with disabilities in their classrooms, as well as carrying out awareness-raising activities in communities and supporting building transformation projects. HI is also working to develop vocational inclusion for young people and supporting microfinance projects.
HI also works in the field of logistics, supporting other humanitarian actors. Our teams have developed field expertise that enables them to transport goods to the most hard-to-reach regions. This service is also made available to other NGOs. Furthermore, HI supports the development of local skills, by training drivers and warehouse staff in humanitarian and inclusion issues and by raising awareness to the risks posed by explosive devices.
Finally, HI is active throughout the country in the field of inclusive humanitarian action. As one of the only actors working in this field, HI ensures that the needs of people with disabilities are considered and taken into account in the projects carried out by its partners and other NGOs.
Areas of intervention
Latest stories
Building resilience to trauma through psychological support
Due to the crisis shaking the region, there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Mali. Thanks to funding from the EU, HI and its partners are on the ground providing mental health support.
Mali: Helping people displaced by violence regain their confidence and dignity
Assagid Ag Mohamed was forced to flee his home with his family. He now lives in a camp for displaced people near Gao, where he is finding support and rebuilding his life as he waits to return home.
Protecting and restoring dignity and well-being in Mali
Thousands of people have fled violence in the Gao region. With the support of the European Union, HI is providing them with protection, mental health and psychosocial support.
a life
Background
In recent years, Mali has been affected by droughts, political crises and armed conflict, which have led to massive population displacements and weakened its institutions.
In January 2012, the country was plunged into an armed conflict that led to the proliferation of small arms and explosive remnants of war in populated areas. The Algiers Agreement signed in June 2015 was intended to restore peace and security to North Mali. The agreement provides for the disarmament of armed groups and greater powers for the regions. Since the beginning of 2018, however, central Mali has been the theatre of armed conflict between radical groups. Since 2020, the peace agreement has been challenged by a part of Malian public opinion. Strong opposition to its application regularly causes tension between the various parties.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a coup d’état in August 2020 and the economic and banking sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during the first half of 2022, the country has gone from strong economic growth to a period of recession. Poverty is wides-spread and the unemployment rate is high.
People with disabilities are excluded and often victims of discrimination or prejudice. They have little or no access to health care, education, social services or employment.
Number of HI staff members: 201
Date program opened: 1993
