Mali

Background

• The Republic of Mali is a landlocked nation in Western Africa. It is the seventh largest country of Africa and borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. The combined effect of its debt burden, its structural adjustment programmes and the devaluation of its currency has compounded the economy’s weakness, and Mali remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
• Approximately 46% of Mali’s population is 15 years of age or younger and 64% of the population lives in conditions of poverty.
• Of particular concern is the vulnerability of Malian children and youth to HIV and AIDS. Sexual education remains taboo and sexual health programs in the school system are rare and censored.
• Traditional and cultural practices remain strong and play a significant role in fuelling the spread of HIV and AIDS. Early marriages, polygamy, female genital mutilation and little to no knowledge of contraceptive use have deep roots within Malian culture and tradition.
• Early marriage for girls is common, thereby decreasing their participation in school beyond the primary level. The low social status of women makes it difficult for them to exercise the control necessary to adopt safe sexual behaviour. This is reinforced by the very limited participation of women in politics and policymaking.

What We Do

The national priorities of Mali align with the commitment to basic education as enshrined by the Dakar Framework, the Millennium Development Goals, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The results are policies that emphasize universal basic education, gender equality, enhanced life skills training, and HIV and AIDS preventative education. Right To Play’s program directly addresses these challenges through recognition of sport and play as an innovative and participatory learning tool in both formal and non-formal education systems, which readily captivate a variety of stakeholders, most notably children and youth themselves.

So Far

Regular activities are being implemented in 4 community centres and hostels and 637 children are registered in the Coach and Child Tracking Database and participate in activities on a regular basis. We have trained of over 75 coaches and over the next 3 years Right To Play will target 15,000 more Children, 565–730 more coaches, 55–70 more coach trainers, in 50–100 more schools and Community Centres.