Seven-year-old Fatimoutou was in pain. Suffering from a serious illness and unable to walk, she had to drop out of school because her family couldn’t afford treatment. But a cash lifeline helped her to recover her health and resume her education.
Helping children return to school in Mali
Fatimoutou was one of 20 children with specific needs who were supported by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as part of its Integrated Multisectoral Response project in Mali. The project was funded by the Norwegian Embassy, and was designed to assist people affected by displacement as well as vulnerable host communities.
As part of the project, NRC worked with five schools in Ménaka, eastern Mali. We supported technical services, including the Regional Directorate for the Advancement of Children and Families (DRPEF) and the Centre for Pedagogic Advice (CAP) in Ménaka.
Together, we identified children with specific needs who had dropped out of school and were in need of protection. We provided cash support in order to provide the children with services or goods that would help to mitigate or address the protection risks. The activity has saved lives and educational paths.
Fatimoutou was displaced from her home in Inekar, in the Ménaka region, in 2022 due to armed conflict. She suffered from meningitis and was in great pain. Her parents were unable to afford treatment, so she was forced to abandon school and stay at home. The illness had severely affected her lower limbs to the point of preventing her from walking.
Fatimoutou’s mother was very worried and felt helpless seeing her daughter's health deteriorating day by day. “I had lost hope for my daughter's future. Her mobility had weakened her to the point where people told me that her days would be short,” she says.
Fatimoutou was identified as one of the “at-risk” children who would receive cash assistance. This support enabled her to get proper healthcare.
The mother's joy was indescribable when Fatimoutou regained her health. “If someone had told me that my daughter would smile again, I would never have believed it. Today, looking at her, no-one would believe that she once fell ill,” she says.
This individual protection assistance activity has allowed the parents of the children to take care of their identified needs so that they can return to school.
“After her treatment, she was able to rejoin her classmates and continue her education,” says Fatimoutou's mother. The little girl has recovered from meningitis, which could have been fatal. Fatimoutou can fully enjoy her childhood now.
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