Skip to content
Français

Mali

Mali's humanitarian crisis: Situation, impact and response

Red Crosser with a community recipient holding a backpack.

Photo: Ester Kamate / Canadian Red Cross

In recent years, the cumulative effects of socio-political and economic crises and climate-related risks have plunged Mali into a severe humanitarian crisis. Conflicts and armed violence in the country have displaced several hundred thousand people, depriving them of access to basic healthcare, drinking water and hygiene facilities, and driving them away from the farmland and markets they need to earn a living. Climate hazards such as droughts and floods have decimated crops and livestock, further exacerbating problems of malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women. Diseases such as cholera, malaria and measles are spreading in a context where health and education infrastructure is being destroyed and public service workers are being displaced.


Working together to support local communities in Mali

A woman holding her baby while she receives medical treatment.

Photo: Harandane Dicko / Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross has been supporting the Mali Red Cross and the country’s Ministry of Health since 2012 with a focus on improving healthcare services for local communities, with particular attention to the health of mothers, adolescents, newborns and children. Mali has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world.

Adolescent Health Project in Mali

Since 2021, the SAM project (Projet de santé des adolescentes au Mali) has been working to improve the health practices and sexual and reproductive rights among adolescent girls in three health districts in the Koulikoro region in Mali. This five-year program, supported with funding from the Government of Canada, aims to strengthen the capacity of teenage girls by improving their access to sexual and reproductive health information, services, and community support systems. This includes training, counseling and youth-led engagement that promote healthy relationships, delayed marriage, and informed decision-making. Awareness raising activities are also being implemented for parents, community leaders, elders, and religious leaders on healthy relationships and how to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The project also focuses on promoting better access to modern family planning methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and raising awareness of the risks associated with early marriage and the benefits of keeping teenage girls in school.

Investing in community health workers

For several years, the Canadian Red Cross has supported the training and provision of equipment for community health workers in Mali, enabling them to intervene in their communities in the event of malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia or malnutrition. These workers are also trained to monitor newborns and raise awareness of harmful practices against women and teenagers, including female genital mutilation and early marriage. At the same time, an emergency response capacity-building project in Africa, funded by the Government of Canada, has helped the Mali Red Cross to better mobilize its resources to respond to disasters and emergencies and other humanitarian crises in Mali.

Community health workers are instrumental in supporting the health of their communities in Mali, especially in remote and underserved areas. Their impact, with support from the Canadian Red Cross, is reflected in the latest report, Investing in Community Health Workers: A Strategic Approach for Canadian Red Cross in Africa.


How you can support humanitarian needs in Mali

Red Crosser sitting with a community recipients.

Photo: Ester Kamate / Canadian Red Cross

Donate to the International Programs Fund

Your gift helps us implement healthcare, water and sanitation programs and contributes to making families and communities more resilient against future disasters, climate crisis or conflict situations. Your donation allows us to help prevent, prepare for, and alleviate the suffering of those impacted by disasters and crises by responding to humanitarian needs, promoting community agencies to address humanitarian crises, strengthening local capacity, and investing in preparedness. Your support will contribute to building more resilient communities around the world.

Read more about how International Programs Fund donations have helped Canadian Red Cross deliver programming around the world.