Mali: report 2010

June-August 2010: The first rains have arrived a good month before they were expected, cooling things down.  The food situation had become critical with whole herds of animals dying and the threat of famine hanging over everyone’s heads.  The nomads didn’t know what to do.  According to the SAP (early warning system ) 629,427 people are in danger of famine, of whom, 52.55% are in Gao.

Despite the high risk of abduction, Sophie has to travel to Bamako to sign the framework agreement.  It will be a difficult return journey.

We are still waiting for the distribution of dried meat promised by the Red Cross for July.  Strangely, Sophie has noticed that it is on sale in the market.  Deviations of food supplies are commonplace and, as ever, it is the most needy who suffer.

As the mango season has passed we are offering bananas to the children.  We were surprised to see that only a few of them recognised the fruit and assume this is due to their high price.  Bananas are rich in potassium and the children like them so we will continue the distributions alongside the milk.

August 2010 :  The rains have been abundant but scattered.  The pastures are beginning to grow again and the herders have brought their remaining animals back.

Finally, we take delivery of the dried meat promised by the Red Cross.  It is put in sachets for the next food distribution.  We also have fresh dates from Algeria which are also prepared for distribution.

We thought that the children would be happy to receive the dried meat but once again they don’t recognise it and would rather have the more usual cartons of milk, millet, rice and sugar.  The women will use it in sauces.

The threats made by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb force us to be prudent.  The French Consul General has ordered all French citizens to leave the area where possible.   The children that we work with, either in the orphan programme or at the Nutritional Recovery Units, are all in precarious situations and there is no question of abandoning them.

The Nutritional Recovery Unit has been busy with 13 tiny infants arriving.  Even the most severe cases have been saved and all the children are doing well.

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Abidine  19 months old,  4.9kg and recovered, below.

Banana distribution