During this year’s rainy season, Mali has experienced extraordinary flooding. Several regions were hit hard, including Bamako. Bamako is particularly vulnerable to flooding, particularly communities along the Niger river, like Kalabambougou, and communities with steep terrain and limited infrastructure to support rainwater runoff, like Sikoro. We work in both of these peri-urban communities, and the effects of the flooding have been devastating.

Women in Kalabambougou like Mandy have made so much progress building sustainable livelihoods, and Kalabambougou is one of three sites of our Gnaman ni Sôrô ani Kènèya project.

The video below shares the experience of Tenin Diarra, who participates in one of Mali Health’s savings groups, in her own words:

Tenin Diarra

The video has subtitles in French, which are translated in English below:

I’m Tenin Diarra, I’m from Kalabambougou and I’m a member of a Mali Health savings group.

This year, we really have been hit hard by the flooding. Since I have been in Bamako, I have never seen such a quantity of rainwater.

The river water overflowed, submerging the homes of families living riverside, including ours.

We have suffered two floods.

During the first, we left the house and as soon as the water started to recede, we returned.

During the second flood, we were rescued in the middle of the night by canoe because there was no way out of the house – the water had already completely invaded.

I lost my clothes, my goods, my provisions, everything.

Here is our vegetable garden where we cultivate corn for our use, as well as potato leaves and mint that we sell to support our family.

Today, everything is destroyed and we have lost everything. Even though the damage was enormous, there was no loss of life.

The place is not accessible without a canoe. Nevertheless, we have been staying in an unfinished home, waiting for the water level to drop.

Living conditions were precarious – without doors for protection, without water, electricity or latrines. We had to use the latrines of neighboring families who were not flooded for a month.

Now that the water has decreased, we have returned to our home, but we really need help, because we are going through a very difficult period.

 

Please consider a contribution to Mali Health to support women like Tenin. Resources are scarce and your support will make a difference helping them to rebuild their lives.

 

The Gnaman ni Sôrô ani Kènèya project has entered its third phase. Women and youth in three peri-urban communities are building a local, circular economy designed to create sustainable livelihoods and address environmental health and climate threats.

After extensive data collection and community engagement in Phases 1 and 2, circular economic activities have begun by establishing composting and gardening cooperatives. From our community research, we found that 57% of waste generated in peri-urban communities is organic, and can be composted, turning unmanaged waste products into a valuable resource.

Beginning in January, 180 women successfully formed 4 cooperatives In Kalabambougou, Sikoro, and Sabalibougou and started acquiring skills in gardening, composting, and cooperative management.

Our baseline data collection revealed some interesting findings.

All 180 women participating in the project have been pursuing gardening activities for subsistence and as their primary income-generating activity for at least 5 years. We expected that composting would be a new idea – and only 4 of them demonstrated knowledge of composting. But nearly half of them, 88 of 180, had limited gardening knowledge. This result indicates just how limited resources are for this group of women, validating the significant need for the project, and leading our team to focus more on mastery of basic skills. In addition, twenty women already had strong knowledge of cooperative management.

About 21% of the project participants (38 of 180 women) reported having no income, the monthly incomes for the rest of the group ranged from 3000 FCFA (about $5) to 22826 FCFA (about $38). Of those with some monthly income, only 8 women reported having enough to be able to save and set aside funds for future needs.

Most of the women participating in the project have been participating in our health savings groups, and 80% (144 of 180 women) knew what to do when there was a health need for themselves or their families. Without sufficient funds to act on that knowledge, the ability to make decisions to protect their health can be limited, but fortunately they can take loans from their savings groups to help meet these needs.

One of the most significant and immediate results of the project has been its impact on food security for women and their families. As they cultivate vegetables, women are not only able to generate income through the sale of their products in local markets, but they are also able to provide fresh produce for their households. In communities where access to nutritious food is limited and prices are often prohibitive, access to this resource is having an immediate impact on child and family health.

The composting activities are ramping up, as the cooperatives sort out their collection and distribution systems. They are already collecting organic waste where the majority of it is generated, at the local markets, and they are working out how to manage more widespread collection operations. With their full operations, women will not only have a local source of nutrients to boost soil health in their own gardens, they will also be able to sell their compost to others. Fertilizers are one of the most costly inputs for gardeners and cultivators across Bamako – and their compost will be an affordable alternative.

 

The project is fostering a sense of community and collaboration among the participants, as they work together to manage their cooperatives and share knowledge about sustainable agricultural practices. Their collective efforts are building social capital that not only improves social cohesion but increases local resilience to the economic challenges they face.

As the gardening and composting activities continue to grow, the cooperatives will begin plastic sorting and recycling activities in 2025. From our research, we found that plastic comprised 14% of all waste generated, so diverting it for recycling and reuse is the next step to building a circular, zero-waste economy.

Late on a Tuesday afternoon in October, when the sun descends to a favorable height, you could walk about 300 meters from a bank of the Niger River and find Mme. Mandy Tounkara, at work in her vegetable garden.

In the peri-urban community of Kalabambougou, with the help of a few other women in her community, today Mandy tends to several garden plots. But her gardening activities started modestly, by growing vegetables for her family and for sale in the local markets. She was able to maintain a garden that produced enough vegetables whose sale could bring her about 1500 FCFA, or about $2.50, every day. But her garden really began to prosper when she tapped into the resources of her savings group.

Women living in peri-urban Bamako have very few sources of income. With no access to financial services, women must create their own opportunities for economic empowerment. Women in Mandy’s community did just that in 2019, when they worked with a Mali Health facilitator to establish a health savings group. Now, Mandy is the president of that group, known as Falakono Benkadi. With 46 members, they have actually divided into 2 sub-groups.

Mandy describes how the financial resources the group provides to women has helped her personally:

In 2020, a year after the establishment of our group, I took a loan from my group which allowed me to buy more fertilizers and seeds. I was able to double my cultivation space and my income reached about 4000 FCFA, [about $6.75/day]. Today, with three times the space when I began, I grown lettuces, eggplant, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs and greens used in different sauces and my income can reach 6000 FCFA [or about $10].

 

Now, with my income, I pay for my children’s schooling and I support my husband more in taking care of other household expenses. This has given me more and more the privilege of being consulted before any decision is made about the household. I like this market gardening activity because not only do I make a profit, but I also contribute to the protection of the environment.

Building on traditional practices of collective saving, lending, and risk pooling in self-managed groups, women in Kalabambougou have made progress increasing their incomes and overcoming poverty.

But several challenges remain.

Women like Mandy still face many barriers to growing and expanding the activities that help them generate income and build wealth. They generally work in the informal economy and have no access to formal financial services. They have few assets; banks do not lend to them.

And while their activities can put them on the path to building sustainable livelihoods, for gardeners like Mandy in peri-urban communities, the biggest obstacles relate to one of her most precious resources – the very land that she cultivates.

Mandy explains:

The drought period brings its share of challenges. Water shortages are affecting the well I use to irrigate my garden a lot. This situation leads to a slowdown in the growth of plants, such as lettuce and celery, and consequently, a decrease in my income. In addition, the instability of my right of use on the land exposes me to the risk of having to leave it at any time, at the request of the owner.

Like most small-scale peri-urban gardeners, Mandy cannot afford the extremely high price of land in Bamako, especially in Kalabambougou, with its desirable location along the river. She negotiates to garden on vacant land that is owned by families who will one day build homes. There usually are no formal contracts – once a family decides they need use of their land, Mandy will have to give up the garden space she has not only tended, but has invested in.

But without financial institutions to help her achieve land ownership, Mandy and her fellow gardeners have little choice. To pursue their livelihoods, they use the land available to them. While they can invest to improve the plot and soil quality, there are simply some risks and obstacles they are not in a position to overcome.

Women like Mandy are one of the primary reasons that we are supporting gardening and composting cooperatives in three peri-urban communities in Bamako, including Kalabambougou. As we work alongside them to provide more support to their current activities, we are also working to help to find long-term solutions to land and water access. Learn more about the GSK project here.

 

The following are excerpts written by Adam Aicha Hanne, an MPH – PharmD student who spent her summer practicum working with the Mali Health team in Bamako. She worked on the Gnaman ni Sôrô ni Kènèya project with the Community Capacity Building department.

The goals of the five-year Gnaman ni Sôrô ni Kènèya project are to improve community health by addressing environmental health hazards and creating opportunities for youth and women’s employment through waste collection, composting, recycling, and repurposing.

One of the goals of Gnaman ni Sôrô ni Kènèya project is to turn what is currently treated as waste into a useful commodity. Based on the Sustainable Community Project from GAYO in Ghana, we want to work with peri-urban communities to convert everyday trash into reusable products. But our very first step towards achieving our goal is to conduct research. Our research is composed of five analyses, three of which I am currently working on:

• Waste composition analysis
• Social norms analysis
• Stakeholder analysis

This week we focused on the waste composition analysis as it is the most time-consuming and physically demanding one. Along with our team of investigators, we went into our target communities – Sabalibougou, Sikoro, and Kalabambougou – to physically analyze the waste generated by the homes participating in the survey. Investigators were provided with a spreadsheet that categorized the different types of waste that are typically found in waste sacs.

Teams of investigators were responsible for adequately weighing the waste sacs, identifying and segregating the types of waste, and documenting the weight of each type. The information will be used to used to identify which waste products are recyclable and the total waste per category will be quantified. Through our analyzes, we will understand the types of waste generated by the participating communities, and how their waste can potentially benefit them.

Learning from History

However, during this research, I learned that Modibo Keïta had ruled as Mali’s leader during colonialism and post-colonialism from 1915 to 1977. But then my main question became who ruled Mali before colonialism in the 1880s? And what was the constitution or constitution-like understanding of the people of that time? I hope that my Bambara teacher who studies the history and social structures of Mali will be able to fill the gaps in the questions I have about Mali and its history. I honestly believe history is important to understand the future. My motto used to be don’t get stuck in the past but focus your energy on the future. That motto has always come in handy for me and has allowed me to advance in many ways in my life. However, as of today I now understand that it is important to look back at the past and analyze for what may have worked for people or communities and utilize those hidden gems in the future. I hope by revisiting the past I can bring to light the gems of the past to the future, and hopefully what I find can be helpful to my Malian communities.

It is Wednesday, February 3, 2021, Aminata’s 3rd day in her new position with Mali Health. In the early morning at her desk, we asked Aminata to share her feelings about her journey and new role.

I am Aminata Seydou Traoré, I’m 29 years old, and I live in Kalabambougou in Commune IV of Bamako District. I have a Master’s degree in Law with a Judicial Career Option from the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences of Bamako.

Aminata began working at Mali Health in February 2018 as a savings group facilitator, an animatrice, in Kalabambougou in our Women-Led Health Financing (WHF) programs. While she was serving as an animatrice, Mali Health supported the launch of one of our first cooperatives in Kalabambougou. Aminata brings extensive experience implementing our WHF strategies, but she has something even more valuable. She brings understanding and knowledge from three years of listening to and directly supporting women in her community. Reflecting on her time at Mali Health, Aminata tells us:

At first I wondered how I should go about meeting the goals that were assigned to me. Then little by little, I was able to fit into a team full of diversity. The questioning gave way to confidence and enthusiasm; then I said to myself that I have a lot to learn with this organization. My personal goal was to be able to be in a management position in the program in which I work. With the position of Program Assistant opened, I thought to myself – now is the time. So I applied and was right to believe it and give it a try.

She was right to believe in herself and try, and today Aminata is ready to thrive in her new role. Ambitious and always committed to serving her community, Aminata is also active in civil society organizations, including the Coalition of African Alternatives Debt and Development (CAD-Mali) through an organization known as Association of Youth for the Development of the Municipalities of Mali. We look forward to the enthusiasm and energy she will bring to her work with thousands of women across Bamako.

*Aminata is stepping into the role once filled by Aïssata Touré Kouyaté, who was recently promoted to Storytelling Manager.

It’s late afternoon and women in Kalabambougou begin gathering for their weekly savings group, in the shade of an old moringa tree. Korotoumou Camara, 25, is there with two of her six children. She is steeping the first round of sweetened green tea for the group’s members. There are freshly roasted peanuts for sale and another woman is selling chunks of juicy watermelons. One group member braids another’s hair, and a young girl is hanging brightly colored clothes on the line to dry. This is where the members of Ben Kadi (mutual understanding) and Yelen (light) meet to save for their future needs. The group has two names because there are two things the women save money for: healthcare and small business activities.

Korotoumou is the group’s treasurer. When she isn’t meeting with the other women, she is busy with her small business selling vegetables at the nearby market or doing the never-ending work to keep her home functioning (cooking, cleaning, minding the kids). Her oldest child is eleven and her youngest is the nine-month-old girl in her lap commanding her fullest attention. She thinks education is important, so her five school-aged children are all enrolled at the nearby public school. Korotoumou and her husband, a local brick mason, had limited education when they were younger. He attended a traditional Islamic school, or madrassa, for eight years and she attended a public school until grade 5.

Korotoumou was in a savings group before Mali Health introduced the idea of adding a health savings aspect. She says that contributing members feel a new sense of ownership for their family’s health needs. Before the health savings group, when one of her children required a visit to the doctor, she was unsure how she would pay for the visit and any medicines. She did not like asking family or friends for a loan because it made her and her husband feel embarrassed. Now, with the ability to take a loan from her savings group, they feel a sense of pride in being able to do for themselves what so often they had to rely on others for.

There was a health center built in Kalabambougou a few years ago, but it never opened. There is a solar-powered water tower that is empty and beginning to rust. A maternity ward with gurneys and delivery areas are collecting dust and cobwebs. The grounds serve as a temporary farm field for the family tasked with caring for the vacant health center until whatever local political dispute preventing its opening is resolved. Korotoumou shakes her head and laughs when talking about the unopened health center; she doesn’t think there’s anything she can do about it. Though, it would be convenient to have a closer health center. The closest Mali Health partner is over three miles away, so she uses the health center in the next town.

When one of Korotoumou’s children falls ill, she knows it immediately. Instead of running around playing with friends, she says they remain at home asking to sleep and lay down. At this is telltale sign, she now goes to the health center with confidence that she can afford the visit and treatment. She and her husband still wait to see if their symptoms clear up on their own, but she doesn’t wait for her children because she knows they are at greater risk and require timely treatment. The most frequent illness the family encounters is malaria, especially during the rainy season when the mosquito population booms. She and her husband still use traditional herbal medicine to treat less severe cases of malaria because it is cheaper than western medicine, and in their experience, just as effective.

The institutions that Korotoumou and her family rely on are fragile and it is difficult for her to feel secure in their future. The fear of not being able to provide for their children’s health needs used to keep her up at night. But with the support from her savings group, she can now rest a little easier. The collective nature gives her confidence that her community cares and it instills in her a feeling of agency. She knows she is contributing to better health – not just for her children, but many other children in Kalabambougou.

About Kalabambougou

Kalabambougou is a peri-urban community not far from the busy streets of Bamako’s city center. After leaving the paved roads behind, drivers go from dodging the moto bikes that weave in and out of traffic to skirting the car-sized pot holes formed by the deluge of the rainy season. Residents have recently filled potholes with large boulders that they will smash into smaller pieces with sledgehammers. It’s daunting work, made more intolerable by the relentless heat and humidity. But maintenance of these dirt roads is vital because they ensure access to Bamako, the markets, and the closest health center.