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Postcard from Mali   
CEDPA Senior Program Associate, Katherine Wells, shares her experience from a recent visit from Mali for a trip funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Health Policy Project (HPP). HPP is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-10-00067, beginning September 30, 2010. It is managed through the USAID Bureau for Global Health Office of Population and Reproductive Health and is implemented by Futures Group, in collaboration with CEDPA, Futures Institute, Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office, Population Reference Bureau, Research Triangle Institute International, and The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. Greetings from Mali! May 27, 2011 — Mali. Where does one begin to speak about the warm-hearted, desert-land of Mali? Arriving during the dry season, you’re greeted with fire-colored foliage; beautiful, smiling people in vibrant, sparkling West African couture; assertive women with babies in tow zipping by on motorbikes; and the mighty Niger lolling through the bustling city of Bamako. You continuously hear people speaking a mix of French and local languages, and five times per day loudspeakers across the entire city announce the Islamic call to prayer. I travelled to Bamako, Mali to represent CEDPA on a trip funded jointly by the Packard Foundation and the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP). HPP focuses on building in-country capacity for policy, advocacy, and governance around salient health issues such as family planning, reproductive health, HIV and maternal health, while also promoting program integration and health systems strengthening. On this particular trip, I was accompanying the Futures Group technical lead for RAPID/Women, the new advocacy tool being piloted in Mali. The tool was developed specifically for use by women advocates and leaders, and focuses on the importance of elevating women’s role in the typically patriarchal society of Mali. The model is being developed and piloted by Futures Group with funding from the Packard Foundation and USAID. Part of my visit to Mali included two workshops that allowed Malian leaders the chance to learn about the advocacy tool and to give their recommendations for how the presentation would best reflect Malian culture and people.
While the two meetings were mainly intended for high-level individuals in government, civil society heads and leaders of religious organizations, Safiatou was invited as a representative of the Malian youth organization, Réseau des Pairs Educateurs (the Peer Educators Network). I remember being struck by the courage and assertiveness of this young girl in a milieu of strong-minded adults. At one point, Safiatou spoke out and questioned the Islamic religious leaders, asking where, since parents refuse to speak to their children about sexuality, should young adults learn about these subjects if not in school? Safiatou was not just there to question her elders. She was actively engaged in the advocacy tool validation process, and she had the courage to speak up about such a sensitive subject in a highly-conservative environment. I know that I would have never had the courage to question a high-level figure of authority in front of a large group of people when I was seventeen years old; yet, this girl understood the importance of her input to the group and made sure that her voice was heard. Seeing her take such a position of authority in a high-level group of people was inspiring for me. All I could think was how many advocates like her can benefit from this tool, and how Mali will surely benefit from Safiatou’s strength and passion for her work for many years to come. Read more about HPP. *Name has been changed |
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The workshops were the best part of the trip for me. They gave me the opportunity to interact with many interesting people, but one girl in particular stood out. She was a striking seventeen year old girl named Safiatou*.
