WOMEN-LED
HEALTH FINANCING
Women in Mali are saving $50,000 per year, and they’re doing it 25 cents at a time.
Since 2013, we have helped women in peri-urban communities gather and share their funds by making loans to one another to pay for healthcare expenses, or for small income-generating activity. They organize savings groups of 15-20 women, elect group leaders, and set rules for contributing and borrowing. The average weekly contribution is about one quarter (25 cents).
“Simply put when money flows into the hands of women who have the authority to use it, everything changes.” – Melinda Gates
When women come together in their communities – they can be an amazing force for change. They are leading the way in finding local, sustainable solutions to improve access to care. They are proving that we can remove burdensome user fees without removing agency.
Whenever there is an emergency or urgent medical need, the women in my savings group know to come to me to get a health loan because the money belongs to all of us. I really enjoy being the president of this group because we are all women, we all help each other and we all work together.
– Sokona, president of her savings group in Lassa
HOW WOMEN LEAD
COOPERATIVES
Since 2018, we have supported women in savings groups to form cooperatives that produce health-promoting products, like soap and peanut butter, right in their communities. They not only make valuable resources more available to their neighbors, they are increasing their incomes, as well. Read more.
SHARE
Savings for Health and Reproductive Empowerment (SHARE) is a special savings group for pregnant women that helps them prepare for the additional costs and challenges associated with giving birth, while also ensuring they receive all their maternal healthcare at their local health center. Read more about SHARE.

OUR RESULTS
5,065
women in
225
groups
$53,346
saved
in 2018
4,805
educational sessions
180
women in
6
cooperatives

UPDATES
Cooperatives help women lead, during the pandemic and after it
When COVID-19 arrived in Mali, it quickly interrupted lives and livelihoods in the peri-urban communities we serve. Most families with whom we work make their livings in the informal sector. The first COVID-19 prevention measures put into place in Mali significantly...
Seeking lessons in the voices of women
Joe and Tara visited Mali in February 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 mother or child in their care in...
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.” Here’s a full summary of our pilot project. For so many reasons, this was an unlikely place to find...

Contact Us:
P.O. Box 51632
Durham, NC 27717
Hamdallaye ACI 2000
Rue 407, Porte 267
Bamako, Mali
info@malihealth.org
617.475.0995
Follow Us: