Message from the Director
Welcome to the USAID/Mali website. Since 1961 when USAID started its first program in Mali, the Mission has been working collaboratively with the Government of Mali to help improve the lives of Malians. working collaboratively with the Government of Mali to help improve the lives of Malians. The bad news is that health conditions and the level of educational attainment remain very low, and approximately two-thirds of the people live on the equivalent of US$1 or less. The good news is that a lot of things have been going right for Mali, all of which give signs that the lives of many citizens are slowly beginning to improve. Since holding its first democratic election in 1992, Mali has become one of the most enlightened democracies in all of Africa and for years has been rated “free” by Freedom House. --> Read


President’s Malaria Initiative
A five-year, $1.2 billion effort designed to reduce malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 countries by achieving 85 percent coverage of proven preventive and curative interventions.
> Scale up interventions for prevention and treatment, including expanded access to accepted drugs and combination therapies, insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying, as well as preventive treatment of pregnant women
> Minimum of 50 percent of funding to be devoted to purchase and distribution of life-saving commodities;
> Goal of benefiting a total of 175 million people. --> Read

New Initiatives:





Project Spotlight

Bridging the Communications Gap in Northern Mali
One of the many dreams of the communities of Bourem Inaly, Lerneb and Almoustarat came true this June. USAID and its partner Africare inaugurated three new radio stations in these communities, opening the door to new means of sending and receiving information, thus bridging the communications gap between people of these communities. USAID and Africare decided to create 14 new FM radio stations in northern Mali because this region is remote, prone to conflict, and suffers from extreme poverty and scarcity of natural resources. The 14 selected communities are provided with comprehensive community radio “packages”, including FM radio transmitters, 2-way communication radio transceivers, WorldSpace satellite receivers, televisions, satellite dishes and VCRs... Read More



Learn about our programs:




Education
USAID’s program to improve the quality of basic education includes technical assistance and training to: provide pre-service and in-service teacher training for teachers in Grades 1-6; develop an improved national curriculum; mobilize communities to manage and advocate more effectively for public, community, and Islamic schools; and train decision-makers at decentralized levels of the Ministry of Education to link resource and budgetary allocations to desired results.
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Accelerated Economic Growth
Objective: Increase productivity and incomes in selected agricultural subsectors

Illustrative Activities:

* Development and extension of least-cost feed rations
* Financing of irrigation infrastructure and water points
* Training and extension of CBNRM techniques
* Pursuance of trade policy reform
* Strengthening of the capacity of trade organizations
* Creation of financial tools permitting the leveraging of funds used for mid/long term investment in agricultural sector
* Development of complementary mechanisms between banks and MFIs to address mid-sized borrowers' needs
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Health
USAID’s health program aims to increase access to and use of key health services in three areas: child survival; family planning/reproductive health; and HIV/AIDS. Funding is used to expand access to HIV/AIDS prevention and testing services, further consolidate HIV/AIDS surveillance activities, expand malaria prevention and treatment programs, reduce vitamin A and iron deficiency, increase immunization coverage, prevent and treat diarrheal diseases, expand access to family planning and reproductive health services. In addition, the program seeks to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry Health, civil society, and private sector to deliver key health services.
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Governance and Communication
The purpose of USAID’s new Governance and Communications program is to empower Malians to play an important role in a decentralized system of democratic governance at the local level. The program works with all key actors—the state, civil society and the private sector— in a partnership to find solutions to local development issues. The program promotes the participation of various groups in the democratic process, and creates viable links among them. It also provides local communities with the skills to administer their own financial systems; develops policies that support the success of decentralized government; and increase women’s role in decision making.
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last updated: monday, february 25 2008