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.