Family Care International (FCI) began work in Mali in 2002 with research contributing to our Rural Girls Initiative and an advocacy project to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Our Bamako Field Office opened the following year and is now central to our work promoting adolescent reproductive health and rights in Mali.

Preventing HIV Among Young People

FCI/Mali began a ground-breaking HIV prevention program in 2005 to reach youth in “the informal sector”. These young workers, including apprentice electricians, cabinetmakers, truck-drivers, and household workers, have among the highest risk for HIV infection but the least access to information and services. FCI is working with local partners to build peer educators' capacity to conduct sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention outreach education with their peers, distribute condoms and strengthen referrals with health services. As part of this initiative, the video Vous, votre vie, vos rêves has been dubbed into Bambara. This project was refunded in 2008 and will soon expand to rural areas outside of Bamako.

FCI recently completed an HIV prevention project in 15 schools and six literacy centers in Bamako and Mopti in collaboration with UNICEF and two other national non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The project sought to reduce HIV infection among students by improving their knowledge, attitudes, and life skills relating to STIs, HIV, and AIDS. The program, based on FCI’s adolescent materials, was conducted by teachers and peer educators. An independent study showed marked improvement in knowledge and attitudes of students that participated in the program.


A Better Future for Rural Girls

In 2003, FCI conducted participatory research in three rural communities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to identify the challenges that rural girls face and develop strategies to address those needs. Education, means of livelihood, and reproductive health were the main issues highlighted for the advancement of rural girls. Subsequently, we implemented a six-month pilot project in the village of M’Biénina, Mali, that combined sexual and reproductive health instruction with literacy and numeracy training. At the end, the young women showed greatly improved knowledge on reproductive health issues and could do basic reading and writing in their local language. They also formed an association to pursue income-generating activities with the initial idea of running a flour mill in the village. Village elders have asked FCI to replicate the project for other girls in M’Biénina and surrounding villages.

Family Care International and UNFPA compiled the results of this participatory research to produce the bilingual CD-ROM resource A Better Future for Rural Girls: Manager’s Briefing Kit. The content from this limited-edition publication, including research results, workshop reports, and a field guide for participatory research with young people is available online.

For more information contact:

B.P.E. 1080
Korofina Nord
Rue 124, Porte 64
Bamako, Mali
Tel: (223) 22 42 915
Fax: (223) 22 42 915
E-mail: familycare.mali@afribone.net.ml  

Family Care International
Francophone Africa Program
588 Broadway, Suite 503
New York, NY 10012
Tel : (212) 941-5300
Fax: (212) 941-5563
Email: franco@fcimail.org