Strengthening resilience to humanitarian challenges in Mali

Since August 2024, the project aims to enhance food security, access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions while strengthening the protection of women and girls in vulnerable situations. Overall, the project seeks to directly impact 123,600 people, including over 65% women and nearly 80% displaced individuals.

Project Objectives

• Food Assistance: Provide timely and essential food aid to displaced households and communities facing food insecurity according to the Harmonized Framework.
• Shelter and Establishments: Improve living conditions for IDPs while strengthening their dignity and autonomy through essential equipment.
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Promote good hygiene practices and improve access to basic sanitation facilities for the most vulnerable populations.
• Protection: Prevent gender-based violence (GBV), raise awareness among communities, and facilitate access to psychosocial services in an inclusive and safe environment.

Latest activities: concrete actions to meet community needs

As part of the project’s implementation, food distributions were recently organized in the regions of Bandiagara and Ségou. These distributions provided a three-month food ration to 1,791 vulnerable households, composed mostly of displaced persons. The food kits included rice, beans, salt, and cooking oil, tailored to household needs and compliant with food security cluster standards.

The communities welcomed this support with relief, as expressed in their testimonials:

Madiné Djiguiba, an internally displaced woman in a commune in Bandiagara, shared:
"Due to the war, we fled our village to come to Bandiagara. We lost everything, including loved ones. Thanks to this support from CECI, we can now eat properly. The quantities we received are far beyond our expectations, and everyone here feels relieved. We thank the project, but we still need additional support, especially for our children and pregnant women."

Ina Karembé, also from the same commune, expressed her gratitude:
"I want to express my thanks to CECI. We lost everything, including our village. Thanks to your help, my family can eat adequately for three months. Your support has transformed our daily lives, and we hope you will continue to assist us in this difficult time."

The distributions were managed via beneficiary cards with barcodes, ensuring efficient and transparent processes. The average value of the kits per household was $198 USD for three months. Among the beneficiaries, 65% were women-headed households, emphasizing their role in managing food resources for their families.

Coumba Traoré, an internally displaced woman in Niono, also shared her relief:
"Before this aid, our means of survival were very limited. Thanks to this food assistance, my family and I can now eat healthily and sufficiently for the coming months. We are grateful to CECI for this vital support."

Essential support for the future

Beyond food distributions, the EHRA Project continues to work in the WASH and protection sectors, raising awareness of good hygiene practices and supporting women and girls against the risks of gender-based violence. Thanks to partnerships with committed local actors, the results achieved demonstrate the positive impact of a community-based and inclusive approach.

As Mali faces growing humanitarian challenges, the EHRA Project stands as a concrete example of international solidarity and collective resilience to improve the living conditions of the most affected populations.

Learn more about the project