Country profile

Mali      New Zealand Capital Bamako Wellington Population 13.5 million 4.1 million Official language/s French English and Maori Per capita income US$380 US$27,250 NZ$1=US$0.70 NZ$519 NZ$38,928 Life expectancy 48 years 80 years Under 5 mortality rate 218/1000 5/1000 Adult literacy 19% 99% (Source: UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2008)

People
The largest of Mali’s ethnic groups is Bambara and, although there are numerous other languages, 80 per cent of people speak the Bambara language.

Islam is the predominant religion, with 90 per cent of the population identifying as Muslim; nine per cent follow traditional religions and one per cent are Christian.

About two-thirds of people live in rural areas. There is significant urbanisation as people search for jobs. More than 70 per cent survive on less than US$1 per day.

History
Mali has rock drawings and indications of ancient civilisations. By the 14th century, the Mali empire extended across West Africa, and its cities, including Timbuktu, were famous for culture, learning and wealth.

Various other empires followed, until Mali became a French colony in 1883. It gained independence in 1960 and was ruled by the military from 1968 until 1991. During the past two decades there have been student protests and clashes between the military and the nomadic Tuareg people.

Geography
The Sahara desert occupies the north, there is semi-desert in the centre and semi-tropical forested savannah in the south. Where the Niger river bisects Mali there is fertile soil and water for irrigation.

Temperatures in Mali are always hot, reaching over 40oC. The rainy season is from June to September, but rain is unreliable and only comes to the south. Due to recurrent droughts and the need for wood for construction and fuelling fires, desertification is a major issue.

Economy
Cotton, livestock and gold make up the majority of the country’s exports. Mali is highly vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices. The nation has received significant debt relief, however it is still deeply in debt and dependent on foreign aid.

Agriculture
Approximately 80 per cent of Mali’s workforce is involved in agriculture, livestock raising or fishing. The best productive land is located near the Niger river. Farmers grow sorghum, millet and maize. Droughts and locust swarms regularly challenge agricultural and pastoral ways of life.

Education
In Mali, 50 per cent of boys and 43 per cent of girls attend primary school. Schooling is compulsory from 7 years old, but enrolments are taken only every two years.

Education is often expensive and schools situated some distance away. Some children are required to work at home instead of attending school. Parents prefer to educate boys, as girls are often married at an early age.

Under a government decentralisation programme designed to improve attendance and achievement, communities are progressively take for school management. There are shortages of teachers and teaching materials.

Health
Mali’s infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world. Chronic malnutrition stunts the growth of more than a third of children under 5 years. Malaria, respiratory infections, malnutrition and diarrhoea are the leading causes of death. Other health problems include cholera, measles, meningitis, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. Accessing safe water is difficult and time consuming, and there is a shortage of trained medical staff.

More than 90 per cent of women between 15 and 49 have undergone female genital mutilation during childhood (also known as female circumcision – this involves the removal of some of a girl’s genitalia). As well as physical and psychological consequences, female genital mutilation can lead to difficulties in childbirth and increased susceptibility to infection.

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Mali COUNTRY UPDATE

HUNGER

“hunger: noun. A feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat” Concise Oxford English Discionary, 11th Edition

Lots of people in Mali are hungry. Really hungry. More than just a grumbling tummy, the kind of hunger people in Mali face leads to malnutrition and even death.

Children and women are particularly vulnerable. More than one third of Mali’s children have stunted growth as a result of malnutrition.

Not only do people in Mali lack food, they also lack the variety of foods to provide a full range of nutrients. Health problems such as goitre and night blindness are prevalent because of lack of iodine and vitamin A.

Poor nutrition leads to poor health and increased susceptibility to infections. In this way, malnutrition is linked with a significant number of childhood deaths. Because childhood is an important time of physical and intellectual growth, poor nutrition in childhood has detrimental effects on children’s development.

Malnutrition affects everyday activities in ways that aren’t necessarily obvious. The more often people are sick, the less they can work, and they face paying significant amounts on medication. When calorie consumption is less than adequate, this also reduces the amount of work people can do; low energy levels make each daily activity take longer, reducing the number of things that can be achieved – fewer fields can be ploughed, less water collected, and less time left for social or income-generating activities.

Malnutrition is a cruel cycle – with little energy, people produce less food, which gives them and their families less to eat and thus even less energy.

Concerned about the wellbeing of children and their families in Mali, World Vision is teaching people to combat hunger and poor nutrition through several different projects.

World Vision introduces better varieties of seeds and teaches improved agricultural techniques such as soil conservation and agro-forestry, to increase the amount farmers can produce on their land. Soil conservation helps improve soils, increasing harvests. Agro-forestry creates windbreaks and increases soil fertility. Many trees, such as acacias, also provide nutritious sources of food. Small animals, such as dairy goats and poultry, are introduced to provide protein for families in the form of milk and eggs, and manure to fertilise fields.

Fruit and vegetables can provide the missing nutrients. In 2006, a one-year project, match-funded by the New Zealand Government, introduced fruit and vegetable gardens to the Yangasso area. As well as providing nutritious ingredients for family diets, people earn additional income from selling their produce.

Aminata, a mother from Yangasso ADP, says: “I am so grateful to World Vision for giving us this garden. It helps me to increase my income, lightens my husband’s expenses and improves our diet and health”.

World Vision also helps establish marketing systems, such as local vegetable stalls, so the nutritional benefits of vegetables are available to the wider community.

Education programmes are particularly important, especially when new ingredients, such as vegetables, are introduced. Growing vegetables isn’t enough – people also need to know how to use them in their everyday lives. So in another exciting project, World Vision assesses nutrition levels among children of a village, identifying the mothers with poorly nourished children and the mothers with well nourished children. For two weeks, World Vision helps the mothers of well nourished children to teach the others how to keep their children healthy using locally available ingredients. Together they cook a meal for all their children and discuss child health. As this is a great social time and shares important skills in a non-threatening way, they often continue to cook together without World Vision’s involvement.

By working with World Vision, people from Mali are learning ways to address hunger and malnutrition and provide better food for their children.