UPDATES FROM THE MALI HEALTH TEAM 
Let’s talk about compassion
Compassion is a universal idea – but it’s been in the news a bit lately. The Dalai Lama is helping to open the conversation about its role in medicine. A donor recently gave $100 million to create an institute to study empathy and compassion to the University of...
Celebrating community leadership in Sotuba
On Wednesday 10 July, Mali Health was honored by the Sotuba community in recognition of our partnership, and the impact it has had on improving community health. While we were the ones being recognized, for us, this event was actually a chance to celebrate the strong...
Seeking lessons in the voices of women
Joe (board member) and Tara (US Director) visited Mali in February 2019 and were honored to host a few American guests for an eventful week, including the celebration of our team of community health workers, and their amazing accomplishment of not having lost a single...
Women, cell phones, and innovation – Mali Health’s unlikely path to WomenConnect
In November 2018, Mali Health officially became a partner in the WomenConnect Challenge (WCC) – a USAID initiative intended to “bridge the digital gender divide.” For so many reasons, this was an unlikely place to find ourselves; it was...
Meet Sokona
Sokona Sangaré could rightfully use the title President Sangaré if she wished; after all, her savings group companions have elected and re-elected her to serve as president of their savings group since they started meeting in 2014. But she's too humble for that --...
A View from the Hill
This post was written by Mali Health Board Chair Dr. Joe Camardo, after his recent visit to Mali. At 8AM I walked out of the NIH guest house at Point G, which is settled on a hill above Bamako, into the heat of the Malian morning. The terrace provides a view of Bamako...
Mali Health awarded Grand Challenges Explorations grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mali Health is happy to announce that we have won a Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Our proposal, Using Participatory Quality Improvement Methods to Improve Vaccine Timeliness, will bring together maternal care...
Taking steps toward sustainability for participatory quality improvement
As a part of our commitment to strengthening community health systems in Mali, we are always looking for ways to turn control over to communities and existing structures. This year, we are taking big steps forward in integrating the participatory quality improvement...
For want of a bar of soap
“We have been meeting as a group and saving for small business needs for ten years,” says Mariam Traoré, the president of her savings group ‘Sigida Yiriwa Ton 1,’ which in English means ‘Association for Community Development.’ “Each member contributes CFA 100 [about...
Join Sonata on a visit to the Diarra family
Halfway up the face of a steep and rocky hill in the community of Sikoro lives Fatoumata and her family. Fatoumata, a mother of four, begins to share the story of when two Mali Health community health workers first visited in 2011. Alimata, Fatoumata’s mother-in-law,...