3 September 2007
Koro
Koro Area Development Programme (ADP) comprises three communes (local government divisions) in Mali’s Koro district. More than 70,000 people in 73 villages benefit from ADP activities.
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Interesting facts
- It is customary for members of villages in Mali to have only one or two family names; because of this, and the popularity of certain first names, it is common for several children to have the same name
- Adult illiteracy means an exact date of birth is not necessarily recorded; instead families may base it on the season of a person’s birth
- Few children in West Africa have birth certificates
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Education
Only one-third of children in Koro attend a formal school. Literacy centres provide education for some other students, but there are still not enough places for all children.
World Vision constructs classrooms and provides equipment for schools and literacy centres. It holds refresher-training courses for teachers and literacy tutors to improve the quality of teaching and help them integrate health topics and HIV prevention into their lessons.
Commune (local government) leaders are trained in the management skills needed to run literacy centres and schools effectively. Public meetings encourage parents to make education a priority for their children, especially girls.
Health
People have to travel great distances to three community health centres which provide prenatal consultation, child vaccination and primary health care services. Malnutrition, malaria, trachoma (an eye infection), diarrhoea and guinea worm are significant health challenges.
World Vision supports health centres with equipment and medical supplies and trains health promoters, midwives and HIV and AIDS educators. Health campaigns using a variety of media, including radio, increase people’s understanding of health topics such as nutrition, hygiene, child immunisation and HIV prevention.
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 Koro ADP
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Water and sanitation
There are no rivers or streams in the Koro ADP area, so families obtain water from traditional hand-dug wells, many of which dry up during the year. Less than half of families have access to safe water and women spend up to five hours each day fetching what they need. Lack of latrines and places to dispose rubbish contribute to water contamination and the spread of disease.
World Vision drills boreholes and helps families install latrines. It establishes and trains water and sanitation committees to maintain water sources, educate about water-borne diseases and improve household sanitation and rubbish disposal.
Livelihoods
Agriculture is the primary source of food and income for families in Koro, with millet the main crop for domestic use and sale. Floods, droughts, famines and locust invasions are real threats, so people often move from the area to search for better ways of providing for their families; this disrupts schooling.
World Vision teaches improved agricultural techniques and promotes vegetable gardening to combat malnutrition. It establishes methods of mitigating the effects of drought, for example cereal banks where farmers can store or borrow grain.
Women’s groups learn to increase household incomes through income-generating activities they can do in the time saved by not having to travel long distances to fetch water.
Community leadership
To ensure community development will continue after World Vision’s involvement is completed, the ADP trains community members and commune leaders to address gender issues and child rights, design and update development plans and prepare appropriate strategies for community taxation (necessary to keep schools and medical services operational).
Sustainable development
World Vision started Koro ADP in 1999, and is working with the community to enhance ongoing development. Progress is evaluated every four years (could occur up to three times over the life of the programme), and when the community reaches its goals World Vision will begin to reduce its support, allowing the community to direct its own development.
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