OUR VALUES

“ Community-led development is a formidable task because it requires not just having a deep respect for communities but the courage to step away, relinquish control, and see the power of sustained transformation emerge. ”

– Dr. Joyce Banda, first female president of Malaw

We believe that women-centered, community-led health systems are essential to achieving maternal and child health equity and universal health coverage in Mali and beyond.

It is not just a matter of what we do – it is a matter of how we do it. Our work cannot be done without keeping women and marginalized communities at its heart, and giving power and control to them.

Here is how our team defines the values that guide us in our own words:

Participation

We engage and support community members in all processes of initiation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all strategies and activities.

Equity

Pursuing equity requires putting those with the least, first. We focus on where the needs are greatest and the resources are most scarce.

Women-centered

We help women invest in themselves and each other to build autonomy and confidence so they can fully participate in decision-making in their households and communities. Women are not just program participants – they are the designers, managers, and implementers of them.

Durability

Our pursuit is not to implement programs, it is sustainable systems change through solutions that are led and owned by community members for the long-term.

Quality

We help partners ensure that the services and care offered to women and children is safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable and people-centered. Quality care treats mothers and children with respect and dignity, is responsive to the needs of patients and communities, and is based on the best practices.

Partnership

Everything we achieve is through partnership, which we cultivate at every level, from local to international. Partnerships allow us to learn continuously from our partners and peers, so we can better support both community-level and national-level efforts.

Strengthened Capacity

Building capacity is not an action we perform, it is a collaborative process that guides how we invest in our own team and in local resources to ensure the sustainability of our work and the full participation of communities in their health system.

Accountability

We seek to create mechanisms of accountablility to the communities with whom we work, to our partners, within our organization, and to all those who support us.

Mali Health improves maternal and child health by supporting women, communities, and the community health system to develop local solutions that ensure every mother and child has access to quality primary care.