Around 80 percent of Malians rely on agriculture for survival and many have been affected by desertification and recurrent droughts in Mali. Many have abandoned their villages to search for food in the desert.
Islamic Relief in Mali
Islamic Relief has been working in Mali since 1997, helping victims of the country’s civil war recover from the devastation of conflict. Following its initial relief efforts, Islamic Relief’s focus shifted toward development projects to reduce the population’s vulnerability to drought and illness. We now work in three areas of Mali: Gourma Rharous in the north, Ouelessebougou in the south and the central areas surrounding the capital, Bamako. Projects include covering water and sanitation, education, community-based development and child-friendly villages.
Islamic Relief was one of the first organisations to reach some of the worst affected regions during the 2005 food crisis. Ninety-five tonnes of food was distributed to over 30,000 people in Gourma Rharous as part of our emergency response.
Today, Islamic Relief’s work in Mali is focused on long-term development. This includes projects covering water and sanitation, education, community-based development and child-friendly villages. We also run the orphan sponsorship programme in Mali, which includes food and clothes distributions as well as monthly sponsorship.