- Mali - Intervita

Intervita works in Mali

Why we workWith no outlets to the sea, the territory of the Republic of Mali consists of low plains dotted with rocky hills. The only significant reliefs are to the south-east of the country.
The Sahara extends in the northern area, whilst in the centre, we have the climatic region of the Sahel, becoming increasingly arid, whilst the southern area consists of a damp savannah irrigated by the rivers Niger and Senegal. One of Mali’s main problems is the contamination of water that leads to a proliferation of parasitic diseases.
The poor quality health structures, concentrated in the urban areas, leave the rural population, and much of the urban population, without cover.

Our aims

Health objective: to improve the whole population's access to basic health services and to reduce infant mortality.

Education objective: Intervita works to improve the performance of students involved in the early primary school years, by strengthening school infrastructures, supplying teaching materials, training teachers and involving the community in school activities.

Food Safety objective: in order to deal with the lack of economic resources and food scarcity, Intervita has started up projects aiming to diversify and increase the population’s income.

Economic developmente and environmental hygiene objective

Environment objective

How we workThe project concerns several different subjects: children, families, teachers, communities. To meet their priority needs, Intervita has chosen to work in some specific areas of intervention.

Description of the project

HEALTH OBJECTIVE
To improve the whole population's access to basic health services and to reduce infant mortality and morbidity, Intervita oversees the construction, restoration and equipment of many health centres, providing technical support to staff, organizing school medical check-ups, dealing with urgent cases, and carrying out training and sensitization campaigns on malnutrition.

EDUCATION OBJECTIVE
Intervita works to improve the performance of students involved in the early primary school years, by strengthening school infrastructures, supplying teaching materials, training teachers and involving the community in school activities. A great commitment is also made to encouraging the schooling of all children making no distinction of race, religion and gender. This takes place by strengthening de-centred educational institutions, fighting against school abandonment and sensitising girls to schooling. Finally, Intervita works in favour of adult literacy and to strengthen pre-school education.

FOOD SAFETY OBJECTIVE
In order to deal with the lack of economic resources and food scarcity, Intervita has started up projects aiming to diversify and increase the population’s income. More specifically, the fruit and vegetable chain has been strengthened, along with that of fattening up animals for meat and fonio production, creating and strengthening local cooperatives were female participation is encouraged and enhanced.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE OBJECTIVE
To improve the conditions of the younger generation, literacy and professional training projects have begun that allow them to independently start up their own income-generating activities. Women, on the other hand, receive literacy and technical training to strengthen the production of shea butter, a resource in which Mali is extremely rich and whose working and marketing is traditionally entrusted to women.

ENVIRONMENT OBJECTIVE
By building and maintaining wells, access to drinking water is improved in schools and the community as a whole. Furthermore, the campaign sensitising health and hygiene standards, training of teachers and students, and the supply of materials to schools, allows for an improvement in the prevention of diseases linked to a lack of hygiene and the drinking of contaminated water.
Finally, groups of economic interest (GEI) are technically trained and supported in order that they can deal with the collection and transformation of waste, also in a school setting.