Family Care International began work in Mali in 2002 with research contributing to our Rural Girls Initiative and an advocacy project to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Our field office in Bamako, the capital, opened the following year and is now central to our work promoting adolescent reproductive health and rights in Mali. In 2009, we opened a second office in the port city of Mopti.

Preventing HIV Among Young People

FCI-Mali began a ground-breaking HIV prevention program in 2005 to reach young people in Bamako who work in the "informal sector.”  These young workers, who include apprentice electricians, cabinetmakers, truck-drivers, and household workers, have among the highest risk for HIV infection but, because they are no longer in school, have the least access to information and services.

FCI works with local partners to train young peer educators to conduct sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention outreach education, distribute condoms, and strengthen referral connections with health services. As part of this initiative, FCI's video Vous, votre vie, vos rêves (You, Your Life, Your Dreams) has been dubbed into the local language, Bambara.

Most recently, FCI-Mali, in collaboration with the Interarts Foundation and the Malian Association des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs (AEJT), used the findings from our work in Bamako to launch a new project in the port city of Mopti. So that young informal workers will have better access to the sexual and reproductive health information and services that they urgently need, FCI-Mali has selected, trained, and supervised young peer educators to organize sexual and reproductive health awareness sessions. As in Bamako, the video Vous, votre vie, vos rêves has been dubbed into the local language, Peulh. We have also worked with influential adults in the community, including religious leaders and employers, to promote better dialogues with young workers, increase their own SRH knowledge, and mobilize their support for this work.

Parents also have a crucial role in improving adolescent health and reducing risky behavior. Working with local partners, we are currently developing a curriculum to equip parents with information and communication skills to talk with their children about sexual and reproductive health issues. After pretesting, the curriculum will be released in French during 2010; if funding permits, we hope then to translate and release it also in Bambara in the near future.

For more information contact:

B.P.E. 1080
Korofina Nord
Rue 124, Porte 64
Bamako, Mali
Tel: (223) 20-24-29-15
Fax: (223) 22 42 915
E-mail: fcimali [@] fcimail [.] org

Family Care International
Francophone Africa Program
588 Broadway, Suite 503
New York, NY 10012
Tel : (212) 941-5300
Fax: (212) 941-5563
Email: fcifranco [@] fcimail [.] org