November 2 2014
How Institutional Partners helped provide support to protect children in war-torn Mali
When an upsurge in violence forced hundreds of thousands of Malian men, women and children to run for their lives, these partners stepped in with funds and support to give them the protection, food and medicine they needed to survive.
2 November 2014 - In 2013, the humanitarian crisis in Mali, one of the poorest countries in Africa, was made worse by escalating violence and a chronic shortage of food. Hundreds of thousands of people – threatened by violence, afraid for their lives, and trapped by poverty -- had no choice but to abandon their homes and livelihoods. These internally displaced people desperately needed assistance. As the emergency began to unfold and the true scope of the crisis became clear, the international community searched for ways to help stop the violence and prevent a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.
Already present in Mali, with several Children's Villages and active Family Strengthening Programmes, SOS Children's Villages was well-placed and had the network to make a difference, but we needed help. It was necessary to ensure that the young people in our care did not fall victim to violence or suffer as a result of the crisis. Several SOS families were moved to Children's Villages in the southern part of Mali, where they would be safe. In addition to protecting those already in our care, SOS Children's Villages sought emergency funding from institutional partners to ensure that our help would reach even further.
A project plan was quickly developed with input from colleagues in the region and internationally, and funding for an emergency intervention was soon secured. Quickly afterwards, SOS Children's Villages was able to launch its 12-month Support and Assistance Project to Displaced Populations in the region of Mopti, Mali, thanks to the generous support of thesepartners. Some 56% of the funds for the relief effort were provided by the Austrian Development Agency, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Thanks to their quick response and commitment, SOS Children's Villages Mali was then able to provide humanitarian assistance, including nutritional support to displaced families and host communities, with a particular effort on strengthening the nutritional status of children under five, as well pregnant or nursing women, and improving hygiene standards and sanitary conditions for displaced families to diminish the risk of a public health crisis, such as cholera. Building on our core expertise in caring for children who have lost parental care, our emergency programme in Mali was also designed to protect vulnerable children, especially those separated from their families due to the conflict.
In Mali, life has begun to return to normal for the children in our villages and the dedicated staff who care for them. Although the crisis will not soon be forgotten, life must go on: homes are rebuilt, families reunited, and children return to school. Our work was made successful by the strong institutions supporting what we do, as well as our long experience helping children and families all over the world, in times of crisis and recovery. SOS Children's Villages is grateful to the institutional partners who supported our work on the ground with access to funding and the right tools to implement an effective emergency relief project in Mali, thereby saving and improving the lives of thousands of children and their families.
Many ways to help
A slideshow of some families who helped or received helped during the crisis in Mali.
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