Mali OVERVIEWMali stands out as a stable democracy in the midst of the troubled West African region. The predominantly Muslim country began a transition to democracy in 1992 and continued with a peaceful change of power in 2002. Real gross domestic product growth has averaged over 5 percent a year since 1994, facilitating the rise of national income from $240 per person in 1994 to $440 in 2006. To assist Mali in continuing to play a positive role in the region, USAID is working to reduce poverty, increase access to information, and improve health and education services. PROGRAMSPEACE AND SECURITYThe Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership aims to provide Malians with the means to overcome the acute poverty and weak institutional capacity exploited by extremist groups. In Mali, the majority of resources are targeted to the isolated, ungoverned regions of Gao, Kidal, and Timbuktu to reduce instability and forge stronger links between local populations and the Malian government. In these areas, USAID focuses on enhancing civic engagement and economic opportunities among Malian youth. USAID also works with Malian medresas, or Islamic schools, to ensure that they are fully incorporated into Mali’s national education system. GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLYUSAID promotes citizen participation in the democratic process, provides local governments with the skills to administer financial systems, develops practices that support decentralization, and increases women’s role in decision-making. Between 2006 and 2008, the number of elected female leaders increased by 200 percent. However, Mali is one of the most information-deprived countries, with a largely illiterate population and a nascent technology infrastructure. USAID’s programs improve the quality of development information available and reduce constraints on information access. USAID is expanding the network of community radio stations in Mali to Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu, and by 2010, will have funded the creation of 20 radio stations and trained radio staff in programming and station management. INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH Through the President’s Malaria Initiative, USAID is working to slow thespread of malaria among children and pregnant mothers using bed nets,indoor spraying, preventative treatment, and medication for any child withsymptoms. USAID also strives to empower women to take control of theirhealth by offering family planning and maternal and child health services,which allow women to make informed decisions on family size and birthspacing. In addition, strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Health,the private sector, and civil society will improve the package of healthservices available for women and children countrywide. USAID is alsoexpanding access to HIV/AIDS services, consolidating HIV/AIDSsurveillance, reducing vitamin A and iron deficiency, increasingimmunization coverage, and preventing and treating diarrheal diseases. INVESTING IN PEOPLE: EDUCATIONIn spite of progress in recent years, Mali’s primary enrolment rate is stillamong the lowest in the world, particularly for girls, and the quality ofbasic education is low. To address these problems, USAID developed aprogram to improve access to quality instruction and to reinforce literacyand numeracy in primary school classes. USAID trained 7,406 teachersand improved the instruction of over 296,000 primary students throughinteractive radio programs. USAID also promotes effective educationsystem management, information and resources flow, and decentralizededucation planning in 75 target communities, and is developing aprogram to increase out-of-school youth employability and income. ECONOMIC GROWTHUSAID has defined a strategy in support of the goal of economic growththat focuses on reducing poverty through an integrated set ofinterventions that will increase food security, agricultural productivity,assets, employment, and incomes. The strategy also boosts awarenessand the capacity of Malians to safeguard and improve the condition oftheir natural resources and biodiversity. In recognition of the renewedemphasis on global food security, USAID has tailored its portfolio in Malito stress activities and capacity development that will address issues offood accessibility, availability, and utilization. The program also focuseson developing capacity within the civil service to better manage trade,investment, and agriculture. Back to Top ^
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