Launch of a project for girls' education in Mali

The FIERES project team was in Bamako at the beginning of May for the official launch of the project, in the presence of the six Malian partner organizations of the project as well as official representatives of the ministries and the Canadian Embassy in Mali. The joint visit of the partner organizations was also an opportunity to organize four days of discussions and workshops to finalize the action plan and initiate activities in complete cohesion among all the partners. 

The FIERES Girls and Resilient Education project is implemented in Mali to promote access for girls and adolescents to quality education that is equitable and adapted to local realities in the regions of San, Mopti and Timbuktu. The project focuses on girls and adolescents in vulnerable situations, including those who have dropped out of school, are nomads, are displaced, or have experienced early pregnancies. It focuses on access to primary and secondary education, while putting forward educational alternatives to ensure continuity of learning in the event of dysfunction in formal schools. It complements several other Canadian projects already launched in the country to support education in the country. 

The launch brought together teams from the Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie and CECI consortium as well as the organizational and institutional partners who will be working on the project. In addition to technical presentations on the project's objectives and expected results, a performance by two young female slammers and the comedian ATT Junior provided a cultural focus on the educational challenges that the project will address. 

While the project team had already been working on the project for a few months, this official launch marks a turning point and the official start of project activities. Partners and the project team took advantage of the workshops to learn more about the project's orientations, including education, gender equality strategy, and key messages for communications and community engagement. 

Learn more about the project

The project is being carried out by the Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie and CECI consortium, in partnership with six Malian organizations Association du Sahel d'Aide à la Femme et à l'Enfance (ASSAFE), Action pour la Formation et l'Autopromotion Rurale (AFAR), Association Subaahi Gumo (ASG), Développement Intégration et Valorisation du Rôle de la Femme (DIVAROF), Association pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits des Femmes (APDF), and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). 

The project is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.