Mali

Food Insecurity

Extended droughts and locust invasions have devastated harvests and plagued millions of Malians with starvation and malnutrition.

80 percent of Malians work in the agricultural sector, according to the United Nations’ 2007/2008 Human Development Report (HDR), further amplifying the adverse effects of a drought.

Prices of many staple foods have doubled in the Malian market, forcing the poorest people to abandon their villages and search for food in the desert.

A recurring pattern since 2005, food shortages in the region have forced millions of Malians to rely heavily on foreign aid for survival. Responding urgently, Islamic Relief was among the first aid organizations to reach the hardest hit villages.

Islamic Relief initially allotted $1.6 million to the relief effort and has since been working in partnership with local organizations and NGOs to help Mali’s people. Thousands of beneficiaries have benefitted from Islamic Relief food distributions, but countless more remain in need.

Please donate today to help Islamic Relief combat starvation and malnutrition around the world.

Impoverished Masses

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook.

With about 30 percent of its labor force unemployed, Malians’ livelihoods are seriously threatened with economic decline coupled with natural disaster.

Over 60 percent of Mali’s population lives under the national poverty line, with over 70 percent of Malians living on less than $2 a day, according to the HDR.

Realizing that prevention is the best cure, Islamic Relief has invested in development projects meant to help Malians become self-reliant.

Vocational training, livelihood support, water and sanitation and healthcare projects have all been implemented by Islamic Relief in hopes of alleviating the suffering of the millions of Malians with little means for survival.

Despite the valiant efforts of Islamic Relief field staff and the generosity of our donors there is still much left to be done.

Please donate today to ensure Islamic Relief’s efforts are not suspended due to lack of funding. Your donation could help save lives.

Islamic Relief in Mali

Islamic Relief has been working in Mali since 1997, helping victims of a civil war recover from the devastation of conflict.

Following its initial relief effort, Islamic Relief’s focus shifted towards combating a severe food shortage caused by prolonged periods of droughts.

Today, Islamic Relief’s field workers in Mali are implementing long-term development projects, including the renovation of water and sanitation, promotion of education, community-based development and the institution of child-friendly villages.