NEF (Near East Foundation) -- 2007 Annual Report -- Country Report; Mali

Over the past year, two important events affected NEF's (Near East Foundation) support of the socio-economic development of Malians living in the areas of Mopti and Douentza, where we concentrate our activities. First, there was increased agricultural production because of more regular rainfall and fewer insects; and second, government budget reforms boosted local management of education, health and water, furthering the process of decentralization.

It is difficult to reduce a year's work in a comprehensive 52-page report to this limited space, and I urge those who read French to refer to the full document available at the adjacent link. Here is a capsule.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

NEF continued to foster the establishment and development of community-based organizations to address people's needs. Thus, NEF helped create 13 cooperatives and other associations in the Douentza area, mobilizing farmers to manage and be responsible for their own decision-making. A case in point, the Bagui cooperative consists of a general assembly, administrative council, and three committees responsible for rice production and water distribution.

In the Tarabe area, 10 villages joined together to form a cooperative concerned with forest management, which has widespread economic, nutritional, health and social consequences for the people of their communities and surrounding locations.

Equipped with NEF advisory teams, communal counseling centers also helped organize 30 communities in the areas of Mopti and Douentza, increasing both their management and work capacities. They learned budgeting for the coming year and accounting for previous one, how to plan and mobilize fiscal resources, project investment and infrastructure management. On the last point, NEF helped 120 people learn to conduct elections, understand responsible committee management and service as secretaries general for their communities.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Centered on literacy and civic education, this year's campaign held two, six-week sessions, first at Bagui, and the second at Boni, again with very strong participation by women, who accounted for 71 out of 127 attendees. Literacy training engaged 25 women from the Nangue Foudi cooperative and 36 men from Bagui's rice-growers coop; 20 men from that cooperative attended management training along with 20 women and eight men from the Douentza nursery-growers cooperative; and 18 female and 19 male market gardeners from Korombana also received training.

Information dissemination occupies an important place in NEF's activities, affecting natural resource management, agricultural productivity and attitudes towards women and children. We employ radio broadcasts and village training sessions as our main means of communication. In three languages--Peulh, Dogon, Bambara--Radio Daande Duwansa reached the majority of villages in the area where NEF works, broadcasting a total of 445 programs this past year. Main themes were decentralization, citizenship, natural resource management, production techniques, education and health.

We also organized group meetings, often of several villages, directly reaching large numbers of people at one time, encouraging dialogue and exchange, analyzing particular subjects, and lobbying about political and practical realities from the local to national levels. Other important training sessions this year centered on local administration, financial management, master planning, and developing work parties. We find all these activities serve to reinforce the vitality of cooperatives and other associations, and the projects they undertake.

NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

To maximize agricultural potential and reduce the cereal deficit characteristic in this area, water basins were created. The before-and-after figures are impressive--rice production practically doubled from 424 tons to 907, a leap of nearly 114 percent--in an area that previously met only 36 percent of the food requirements for over 9,000 inhabitants.

The 402 women of Dari were the focal point of our market gardening efforts with impressive gains in onion, potato and tobacco production. Working with organizations of farmers to increase efficiency and reduce spoilage of local products, stabilization efforts increased shallot production by 30 percent and rice by 10 to 15 percent.

For the second consecutive year, animal inoculations took place in Korombana with extraordinary cooperation from veterinary personnel. With about 30,000 cattle in the area, 92 percent or 27,726 cattle had been vaccinated by year's end, along with 68 percent of sheep, 18,020 out of 26,500. To restore ecological balance, actions were taken to protect ground cover with tree planting in eight of 10 villages in Tarabe, with women in the forefront of this activity. Tree varieties included eucalyptus, baobab, guava, and palm.

SOME MICROCREDIT HIGHLIGHTS

financing went to 3,474 beneficiaries;
a money gram service was instituted;
individual credit was opened to men;
eight village associations received commercial loans;
94,532,660 FCA (Mali currency convertible to roughly 500 to $1) was mobilized for the entire program;
financial viability was reinforced;
widespread management training refined procedures.

ITALY'S CONTRIBUTION

NEF-Mali is fighting against desertification and poverty reduction in the Douentza area of the Sahel, with financing from Italian Cooperation. Activities focus on village assessment, identifying/organizing of small projects, consciousness raising, and suppor of local cooperatives and associations.

Over the past year, 31 out of 32 locations were studied, with the sole exception due to the absence of people from the area. In 15 villages, the fundamental problem was water scarcity and in 11 others, food insecurity. In order of importance, overall problems and limitations were: water scarcity, food insecurity, overworked women, degradation of natural resources and the environment, lack of farm equipment, access difficulties, poor sanitation, schooling children, livestock grazing, and silting of water sources.

The diagnosis clearly defined priorities to be addressed to respond most effectively to the needs of the people. Subsequently, 81small projects were identified; 76 were submitted for funding; and 36 were selected...all with community participation from 48 committees, well informed of their roles and responsibilities in the realization of these projects.