March 2017 – Mali continues to face a multidimensional crisis characterized by acute food insecurity, malnutrition, and population displacement. Despite the signature of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in June 2015, fighting between armed groups in the North still occur. A majority of communities affected by the conflict still struggle to access food, water, health care, education, protection and livelihoods opportunities. In some areas, persistent insecurity continues to limit the presence of State and development actors. For many families, humanitarian organizations are the sole providers of essential services. With GAC’s support, the partner is helping to assist up to 33,596 conflict-affected people in Gao region. Project activities include: (1) constructing up to four water points in health centers benefiting up to 13,743 people; (2) distributing inputs for rice cultivation to vulnerable households affected by climatic hazards, benefiting up to 6,000 people; (3) training communities on the prevention of abuse, rights violation and local victim support; (4) training women’s groups and youth groups on advocacy, prevention and management of sexual violence; and (5) providing financial, medical, psychosocial and judicial support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as to youth at risk of enrolment in armed groups.
The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to safe drinking water; sanitation and hygiene supplies; (2) increased access to interventions to restore and/or protect the productive assets of vulnerable men and women; and (3) increased access to services for victims of sexual violence (legal, medical and psychosocial services, and socio-economic integration). The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved, suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.
