Facts
A total of
253,501
people in need received our assistance in 2017.
Humanitarian overview
In 2012, when radical groups took control of Mali's northern regions, more than half a million Malians were displaced from their homes. Roughly 150,000 people escaped to neighbouring countries, and hundreds of thousands became displaced inside Mali.
In 2013, French military forces retook control of key areas in the north from radical groups and displaced Malians began returning to their home areas. Despite peace negotiations in 2014, conflict between groups seeking independence for the north continued, leaving hundreds of thousands of people unable to return home.
In June 2015, a peace agreement was signed between the two major armed coalitions and the Malian government. Since then, authorities have gradually returned to the north, providing basic state services in the largest towns. But many remote areas still lack basic services, like healthcare, and some regions are on the brink of collapsing into conflict.
While those who have stayed put since the eruption of conflict face violence, poverty, and food insecurity, the number of internally displaced people continues to increase.
People we helped in Mali in 2017
NRC's operation
NRC strives to provide lifesaving short-term and long-term aid to displaced people in Mali, as well as the most vulnerable among those who stayed put. We work together with their local communities, often in hard-to-reach areas, to help them to overcome their immediate needs, like water and food, and to rebuild a safe future.
Given the diminishing donor attention on Mali, we advocate for displacement issues, humanitarian needs and access to be central to humanitarian and development discussions at international level.
Education
We work together with local communities, parents and education authorities to provide quality education to children and youth affected by displacement and conflict. Our education teams:
- provide catch-up classes for out-of-school children, giving them an opportunity to jump back into the formal education system
- support community-based learning in areas where no schools are functional
- provide vocational training for vulnerable youth, so that they can earn a living
- support the formal education system through teacher training and distribution of text books and pencils
Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)
We provide legal assistance to conflict-affected people through our services in central and northern Mali. By using mobile teams, we also extend our assistance beyond these areas. We:
- help people to acquire civil documentation, such as identity cards and birth certificates, so that adults can access basic services, and children can be enrolled in schools
- give training to local authorities on the needs and rights of internally displaced people
- help internally displaced people and returnees to access their land and property rights by assisting those who have lost their documentation or whose claims to land are contested
Livelihoods and food security
Humanitarian needs are staggering in Mali, where nearly 4.1 million people are in need of food assistance. In the regions most affected by food insecurity, our teams:
- distribute food to people who don't have enough, and assist families facing food shortages with food vouchers redeemable for staple goods
- help people earn a living and rebuild their future through income-generating opportunities like community gardens, loans and village savings
Shelter and settlements
In Mali, our shelter activities go hand in hand with our education activities. We:
- construct and rehabilitate schools, classrooms and latrines in areas where we have education activities to make sure that children have a friendly and safe learning environment
- SIDA
- NMFA
- Unicef
- WFP
- FFP
- European Union
- AFD
- Telethon
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