Mali

Bagui, Mali – Magnata is a 43-year-old commercial saleswoman from Bagui. For 15 years, Sanata traded smoked fish and root vegetables to feed her family. As a widower, she depended upon income from her small business to educate, clothe, and feed her children.

When political crisis struck Mali in 2012, Sanata’s family—like many in the region—was forced to flee the violence, leaving valuable assets behind.

“The crisis changed my life,” Sanata said. “Everything I had built collapsed around me like a house of cards.”

Sanata left her village, leaving all her belongings behind, out of fear that jihadist groups would enlist her children. When she returned 18 months later, her house was in ruins and rebels had taken most of her business supplies.

“I needed funding to rebuild my business, but local agencies were not loaning,” Sanata said.

Too many clients had defaulted due to the crisis, and local funds needed to recapitalize before issuing more loans. Out of work and homeless, Sanata fell back upon the generosity of her family and neighbors to keep her children alive.

Then, with support from the United States Agency for International Development/Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), the Near East Foundation began implementing the Restoring Economic Capacity of Populations Affected by the Crisis in Northern Mali (RECAPE) project to address the immediate recovery needs of people in northern Mali to restore livelihoods and food security.

Through the project, Sanata received a cash grant. She reconnected with her network of suppliers and distributors, replaced capital stolen in her absence, rebuilt her house using mud bricks in place of straw, and even purchased a canoe to increase her fishing activity. Today, her catch has recovered to pre-crisis levels, and she has enough money to pay for food and send her children to school.

“When I first heard that grants were available, I did not believe it,” Sanata said. “But when I received my voucher and learned where and how to claim my grant, I began to cry, knowing that someone thought of my suffering and answered my prayers for help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Cash grants have helped 1,900 people to begin to reestablish livelihoods activities after liberation from the takeover by armed rebel groups in 2012. Near East Foundation economic recovery agents provided guidance to grantees in designing (or redesigning) income-generating activities for rapid recovery. Project beneficiaries reported improved living conditions and financial autonomy, as well as increased working capital and economic activity.

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program, providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

A USAID/OFDA-funded early recovery effort in Mali provided emergency support to the livestock sector, benefiting pastoralists like Samba Allaye Dicko (pictured above) who were drastically affected by the takeover of northern Mali by armed rebel groups in early 2012. Supplemental feeding activities for livestock, the rehabilitation of 5 pastoral water points, and the restoration of 100 hectares of pasture have provided emergency support benefiting more than 100,000 animals and 5,600 people (more than 40 percent women).

Samba Allaye Dicko–a 46-year-old father of 8 from N’Gouma, Mali–depends upon the annual rains to stock pastures with the grasses he needs to feed his herd.

In better years, Samba and other pastoralists would travel north in search of verdant pastures and divide rangeland to avoid overgrazing. When political crisis struck Mali in 2012, insecurity on the roads taken by Samba meant he had to graze his 190 cattle on the outer limits of his village. Weak rains meant that there was little feed to share.

“There were too many of us grazing our cattle in one area, so we quickly ran out of food,” Samba said. “In the first months of the crisis, I lost nearly half my herd and, with it, half my wealth.”

To make matters worse, security considerations forced shopkeepers to raise the price of animal feed supplements and other goods to cover increased transportation costs and lapses in supply.

With support from the United States Agency for International Development/Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), the Near East Foundation began implementing the Restoring Economic Capacity of Populations Affected by the Crisis in Northern Mali (RECAPE) project. The project addressed the immediate recovery needs of people in northern Mali to restore livelihoods and food security—including those of pastoralists.

The project intervened to mitigate the livestock food shortage, distributing feed supplements to hard-pressed pastoralists who could not afford to pay inflated prices at the local shops.

“We never imagined that we would ever receive the level of support the RECAPE project provided at a time when so many of us were struggling,” Samba said. “Their assistance carried my herd and my colleagues’ herds through the lean season. Without it, more than half of my investments would have been wiped out.”

NEF also rehabilitated 5 watering points that had fallen into disrepair at the height of the crisis.

“I know I speak for others in my community when I say that RECAPE helped us to stay afloat at a difficult time,” Samba said. “Our livelihoods and our families are more secure, and we could not be more thankful.”

The project has helped more than 5,600 people who depend on pastoral activities to recover, by ensuring improved food security and livelihoods.

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

A father of 4, Kaadi works hard to grow millet on the hills outside his home in the village of Bagui, Mali, in the commune of Korombana. Lacking irrigation and with poor rainfall, Kaadi’s production seldom was greater than 1 ton.

“Most years, low rainfall meant I could only harvest 2 to 3 months worth of grain for my family,” Kaadi said. “It was not enough. To make up the difference, I had to sell our animals just to put food on the table or find temporary work in Bamako or Mopti.”

With the installation of an irrigation system in 2005, farmers like Kaadi were able to make the most out of what little water was available, allowing them to stagger crop irrigation and ultimately increase their yields. From 2007 to 2012, the Tangura family produced enough food to meet its own needs and beyond. Kaadi was able meet all of his household needs and even sell rice at the market. He recouped the animals and equipment he had sold during leaner times.

When political crisis struck Mali in 2012, rebels in the north roamed from town to town in search of homes and businesses to loot, vandalizing infrastructure in towns like Bagui. The irrigated perimeter in Bagui was destroyed.

“After so many successful years, we lost everything”, Kaadi said. “I was so discouraged … I considered uprooting my family and moving somewhere safer to start all over again.”

Then, through the support of the United States Agency for International Development/Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), the Near East Foundation distributed vouchers for food aid, fertilizers, and seeds to hundreds of households like the Tangura’s and worked with local leaders to repair vandalized infrastructure.

Agricultural activity has resumed, and the local economy is slowly coming back to life. Along with others in his community, Kaadi and his family have begun to recover.

“It is often said that where there is life, there is hope,” Kaadi said. “Thanks to the RECAPE project, I can personally attest that this saying is true. Thank you to all who have contributed to my village’s rebirth and helped us to preserve our dignity. There is so much potential here, in the land and in the water.”

Click here to listen to Kaadi's story.

Douentza was the southernmost town taken over by the Islamists during the Malian crisis of 2012, and for months it was in the hands of the rebels. Cut off from the outside world, many people fled southward or to neighboring countries. Now, two years later, the majority of the population has returned home, and life is getting back to normal. However, traces of the crisis are still visible. Not just in tangible objects such as bombed out houses or cars, but mostly in the hearts and minds of the people who left and those who stayed behind. All have stories to tell. Stories they carry with them every day. This is Dikore Diallo’s story.

Dikore is an elderly woman who has three small grandchildren living with her in Douentza. Born with bad vision, she is now practically blind and must rely on her grandchildren to guide her through the darkness. The family earns a living by buying and selling such small articles as bars of soap, fruits, or homemade prayer rugs. Currently, Dikore has access to a tap and is selling water to people who fill their jerry cans for a small fee. Most of the time she manages to make a living, but not always, because of her limited eyesight. “I can only sell small quantities because that is all I can oversee,” she explains. “If I buy in bulk, people can easily steal from me without me noticing, so if I have only four bars of soap to sell, they have to come so close that I will notice.”

In 2012, when the Islamists were closing in on Douentza, Dikore felt it wasn’t safe to stay, so she fled to Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, due to limited means, she could only take one child with her and left the other two with a friend. She didn't know anyone in Burkina, but fear of the jihadists drove her to leave town in haste. After a nine-hour bus drive, Dikore and her grandchild arrived in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, where their lives took an astonishing turn when they met a woman who welcomed them into her family.

Although she had found food and shelter, Dikore didn’t feel at ease in Burkina because she had no way to earn a living. So after almost four months in Burkina Faso, she went to the market every day to beg for money to pay for the return trip to Mali. Instead of returning to Douentza, however, she made the fateful decision to go to Diabaly, a town near Ségou. Just before Dikore and her grandchild arrived in Diabaly, the French Air Force had started bombarding major Islamist towns in the north of Mali. As a result, hundreds of Islamists fled to Mauritania, not far from Diabaly, where they launched a counterattack. Fleeing the fierce fighting in Douentza, Dikore found herself in the middle of the Battle of Diabaly, which ruined the city and its population.

Not able to imagine a situation worse than Diabaly, Dikore returned to her home in Douentza. Although it was safer there, Douentza was not much better than Diabaly because so many people had fled the city that there was little activity and no way to earn money. Then Dikore received what she calls “a gift from God,” in the form of a small amount of cash and four sacks of millet as part of the RECAPE project financed by USAID and executed by NEF. “The NEF aid came just when I thought there was no one to help me,” Dikore says. “I’m so grateful my life is getting back to normal and that I have been able to restart my water-selling business.”

It is strange how the most tragic stories are so often filled with hope. Dikore’s story is one of disability, struggle, tragic choices, violence, and severe poverty. But at the same time, it is a story of good people with good intentions, of strong women and open arms. It shows how small acts of kindness and generosity can have a direct impact on someone’s life, and that even when we think we have nowhere to turn, we are not alone.

Amadou owns a small shop in the town of Douentza in the central region of Mopti. He mostly sells milk, soap, rice, and tea, but customers also stop by for oil and sweets, or just to chat. In addition to being a shopkeeper, Amadou farms a field just outside of town during the rainy season. It is not easy handling both jobs, but his family is supportive and helps whenever possible.

Although Amadou works hard to make a living, the past year has been rough. In 2012, he and his family were living in Douentza when the jihadists entered the city and took over power by force. He wanted to leave, but couldn’t find the means to move his whole family. Amadou recalls that everyone was afraid, and there wasn't anyone on the street, let alone in his shop. “Life was difficult, and I was not able to feed my wife and three kids a meal every day,” he says. “If we had a meal one day, we wouldn’t eat the next day—that is how we managed.”

Recently, Amadou received four sacks of millet from NEF as part of the RECAPE II project. He is extremely grateful that now his family can enjoy a proper meal every day. And with the end of the crisis and a little help, slowly but surely life is getting back to normal for Amadou and others like him. His business is improving, and with the rainy season just around the corner, he expects to be able to provide for his family again very soon. “I hope my children will grow up in safety,” he says. “I want them to go to school and take care of me later in life—that’s all I wish for.”

Teresa is a kind and warm hearted woman living in the town of Douentza in the central region of Mopti. A great cook, she sells fried cakes on the side of road, creates delicious home-cooked meals, rice, and sauces to sell, and on occasion, caters parties, weddings, and funerals. Life, however, hasn’t been easy for Teresa, who lost her husband, her business, and her elderly mother during the political crisis in 2012.

By the end of the crisis, Teresa found herself head of a household of seven children with no means of support. Luckily, she was able to slowly rebuild her life with the help of an NEF grant, which enabled her to restart her business and feed her family. Teresa also received sacks of millet, which she uses to create mouth-watering fare ready to be sold to hungry travelers.

Almost everything Teresa earns goes toward educating her children because she believes it is crucial for their futures. She is proud her daughter is studying to become a nurse and does everything she can to pay the yearly school fees in full and on time. Life will never be the same for Teresa, but she is determined not to let it get her down. “We'll manage,” she says smiling. “Petit à petit.”

Mariam lives with her children and grandchildren in the town of Douentza in the Mopti Region of central Mali. Every day her family can be found along the side of the road selling mangos, coconuts, guava, coal, or soap. Although she is getting too old for sales, Mariam makes herself useful at home by breaking coal into small pieces and crocheting tablecloths to sell.

During the recent political turmoil and armed conflict in Mali, all business stopped, so there was no one to buy Mariam’s goods. As a result, after the town was liberated, Mariam was left with no income and a loan from NAYRAL & NEF she could not pay back. But soon her life began to look brighter when she received an additional small grant from NEF that enabled her to restart her business and feed her family at the same time.

These days, Mariam’s business is doing well, and she has even started paying back her loan. She says she is proud to be able to send the children to school again and has allowed herself to dream about restarting her vegetable garden. “Today I don’t have the means to do so,” says Mariam, pointing to a small plot of land where she wants to grow tomatoes and onions. “But now I have hope that tomorrow will be better.”

The Northern region of Mali is still recovering from the strife and insurgency of 2012. You you won't find tension in the quiet village of Sobbo. This is where Hama Alaye Traoré and Moctar Dicko have their rice fields. Hama is Sub-Saharan and Moctar is of Arab-Berber descent. The tenions of the past year might as well be thousands of miles away. They are friends and partners, working together to tend to their crops, develop their land and to increase their incomes.

Hama and Moctar saw the potential to raise fish on the unused portion of their land. Surrounded by rice fields, the location is a natural development and a good use of excess water. When they asked NEF for help, we sent out people to inspect the site, help develop it and help develop their business plans. Hama and Moctar worked hard to build the site and worked alongside NEF to develop the local infrastructure to facilitate Sobbo's development.

Their new fish farm increased the diversity and amount of food they can grow, which now includes native fruits and other small crops they grow on the edges of their fish pool. The project also increased their incomes, not only using the fish as a source of income, but the new roads and other infrastructure helped open access to new markets and allow Hama and Moctar to seek the best prices for for their fish and rice.

They now plan to reinvest their new incomes into their rice farm and continue to develop their fish ponds. They are both very excited and happy about their new developments and were very proud of everything they accomplished with NEF's help. They are grateful that NEF was willing to work as much and as hard as they were to better their lives and farms and hope to work together more in the future.

Amba is a small village on the Gao road, north of Sévaré. The locals at first scoffed at the idea that trees could grow in the Sahel, the semiarid region between the flowing sand dunes of the Sahara Desert and the lush grasslands of the West Sudanian Savanna. They had been farming in this region for generations and had never seen anything like it.

And yet, in Amba, there is a grove of trees belonging to a local farmer and NEF partner, Engléy Guindo. Engléy was willing to believe with a little hard work and persistence, that trees could grow. NEF provided training and supplies, as well as a small grant to get Engléy’s grove started. And grow they did.

First he planted Baobab and Eucalyptus trees, because they grow quickly and new trees will grow from the stumps when the trees are harvested. A eucalyptus will grow six to twelve inches in just a year. The whole process of growth and harvesting good wood for market takes just four years. The fruit of the Baobab has more calcium than spinach and more vitamin C than an orange. The leaves of both are also used in foods and sauces. Engléy’s groves has improved the diversity of his food and his access to it, as well as increasing his income from selling the leaves, fruits and wood. The wood of the Eucalyptus is very valuable at markets in the country.

Soil and water conservation are very important in the Sahel. Desertification is slowly creeping up on parts of central Mali and the effects of climate change are felt all year long, especially when the seasons change. The region has recovered from the 2010 Sahelian Famine, but improving the management of resources and access to food is a top priority of NEF’s work in Mali.

More tree growth projects are underway in other areas of Mali, like Tété and Mbessena. The locals in Mbessena were also skeptical of growing trees, but when one farmer like Engléy Guindo took the chance to grow one hectare and succeeded, the others joined in. A few short years later, Mbessena has 36 hectares and a wide increase in local incomes. With the help of trees like the Eucalyptus and the Baobab, combined with the hard work and dedication of the people of Mali, they will slowly but surely reclaim the desert.

Fatoumata Traoré is a resident and entrepreneur in Konna, Mali. She has been selling fish for twenty-five years.

One of the central challenges in Fatoumata’s business is the need to keep the fish fresh while she transports them to market. Fatoumata often needed to pay for repairs for her refrigerator or to purchase ice so she did not lose her product.

Through Nayral, NEF’s microcredit bank, Fatoumata received a loan to ensure that she has enough money to pay for refrigeration. She has also purchased two trucks so she can sell fish in Konna and in other cities like Bamako. She is now able to support herself through her business.

She has hired seven men and five women to work for her, including some year-round workers. In the future, Fatoumata wants to expand her business by buying an additional truck to transport other people’s fish, as well as her own.

Testimony of an operator of a microirrigation scheme in the village of Déri in the rural area of Djaptodji near Douentza

My name is Samba Diallo; I’m 55 years old, married, and the father of 7 children. I’m a son of the village of Déri in Djaptoji. I am also now president of the planning committee for the microirrigation project of the MIG 2 group here (there are three MIGs managed by three different groups).

Until 1994, I was satisfied with the few crops that can be cultivated in dry climates—notably millet, which we grow on top of the dunes. With the scarcity and poor division of rainwater, my annual millet production over the past twenty years rarely exceeded a ton; this didn’t allow me to meet the needs of my family for more than 3 of 4 months at most. In order to bring in enough food, I often had to leave my children for months at a time to go work in Mopti or Bamako.

Twenty years ago, Deri was the most deficient in grain of all the villages in the Djaptiodji region (which includes 62 villages in total). In 1994, NEF, with the goal of helping the village adapt to climate conditions that are getting more and more difficult every year, proposed that we develop a micro area of 6 hectares originally; a second of 6 hectares in 1996, a 3rd of 8 hectares in 1998 and finally the extension of a the whole developed area into a 42-hectare plot in 2004. Thanks to this, my village has become the most productive in the region; we grow more than 250 tons of rice annually, and now we’re even attracting a lot of laborers from elsewhere in Mali.

For my own part, I now have parcels of land that now total about 1 hectare, in which I grow more than 6 tons of rice annually. After 5 years, I grow more than enough food for my family: I don’t have to travel to find work, and I can afford to buy my own animals and agricultural supplies (carts, plows, etc.) with the proceeds from my excess rice. I’m not rich, but I have everything I need to maintain a good life for my family.

Today, thanks to NEF, we are well organized in cultivating our village’s agricultural land and trained in infrastructure management and stocks. The impact of this training is visible in all parts of the village: tools, vehicles, animals, etc.—all things that would have been a dream 20 years ago. We have also noticed with great satisfaction the reinforcement of social ties between inhabitants of the village and its neighbors.

My name is Samba Maiga, I’m 60 years old, and I was born and raised in the village of Monuwel in the region of Gandamia near Douentza. I’m married, the father of 8 children, and a farmer.

In 2006, our village received support from NEF for managing rice cultivation through the collection of rainwater. As the main organizer of the village association’s activities, I’ve been involved in every stage of mobilisation for the extraction and transport of rubble, and the construction process.

It was really with NEF’s encouragement that I began cultivating rice—before this, all my production was based in millet, and I bought rice to eat at the market in Douentza. Now, the rice production has yielded me more than 2,000 kg annually ; I eat a part of that, and sell the rest to cover my family’s expenses : I have two children in school, and currently I have no problem providing for their food and school supplies : rice flows readily, and whenever a financial need arises it is quickly resolved. This has greatly ameliorated the condition of our life and made us far less vulnerable than before.

I should also note that I have learned a lot about techniques for producing rice and its various varieties ; and these have made my life much more tranquil because rice is far more reliable and easy to grow than millet. Every year we add to the amount of cultivated land and gain more expertise as our experience increases.

Finally, I would also like to remark on another other positive effect of our new training : the use of purified sea water to augment the levels of our subterranean water supply, which was dwindling alarmingly before we learned to manage it better.

Infinite thanks,

Samba Maiga