Soroptimist International Foundation is delighted to announce a new project in partnership with Soroptimist International (SI) Lumière, Bamako in Mali, West Africa.  

Funding of £41,000 (GBP) has just been awarded to SI Bamako Lumière to support this project , funded from the Educating Women from War Torn Countries Fund which is managed by Soroptimist International Foundation. 

An award of $100,000 to a SI Club in Mali has been made possible thanks to a generous donation from SI Taiwan to the Educating Women from War Torn Countries Fund. The project embraces the three key areas at the heart of Soroptimist International Foundation’s vision and mission to Educate, Empower and Enable women and girls in all their diversity.  

The project aims to educate and support 100 displaced women and girls who have survived the war in the Bamako District. These females have fled the locality of Menaka in the north of Mali because of war and the ongoing threat of terror.  

On behalf of the SI Taiwan Region, Soroptimist member Tina Pan said:  

“Women and young girls in the war and conflict tend to suffer more compared to their male counterparts. They tend to have psychosocial distress and bear the responsibilities of caring for their dependents including the children conceived out of sexual violence. I wish that the project can help them through education and other support.” 

The war and terrorist threats have created a lack of security and increased gender-based violence in Menaka leading to the closure of schools and displacement of women and girls from their home villages. Continuing clashes between different armed groups have caused waves of displacement to other cities in Mali. In the last two years the city has experienced several humanitarian emergencies, tripling the exodus of people seeking refuge.  

This project will be located in the district of Bamako in the region of Koulikoro, Mali. This group of 100 displaced women and girls are likely to encounter some difficulties in education since their education and training opportunities were disrupted; so, a critical first task will be helping them become literate, before training in the processing of agri-food production. 

The project’s literacy element will take place in the first two months, focusing on developing reading and writing abilities. In the second part of the project, covering a further four months the women and girls will learn the techniques of processing local products such as wheat, millet, corn, ginger and garlic. During this training they will learn about food processing techniques such as conservation, storage, calculation of production cost and the application of hygiene measures. 

In the final stage all the women and girls will be gathered to form a cooperative to implement their collective knowledge. Each of them will be provided with a kit to support them in putting quality finished products into packaging for selling on the market.  

Displaced women and girls are particularly vulnerable to violence and harmful practices such as trafficking, sexual violence, early child marriage and female genital mutilation. By offering this support the project will give 100 women and girls economic empowerment and help them to realise their potential so they can become equal leaders in the community in which they now live. In providing productive training and employment we can reduce their exposure to danger and help them achieve food security.   

The Chair of SI Lumière Bamako, Diarra Oumou M Sangaré said: “The Soroptimist Club Lumière de Bamako thanks the Soroptimist International Foundation for the support provided to the education and empowerment project of 100 women survivors of the security crisis, displaced from the Ménaka region. This assistance is timely”.  

Soroptimist International Foundation will facilitate and encourage fundraising by members, clubs and others as appropriate to help ensure that project objectives are being met and to deliver the project to a further 100 women.  

SI Lumiere’s role in the partnership will be the project’s implementation and execution between 1 April to 30 September 2024 reporting on progress and outcomes. A final evaluation will be provided in late 2024 revealing the project’s impact.  

Further information:   

For further information or to make enquires regarding legacies, please email hq@soroptimistinternational.org