Mali in Crisis: Latest Video Report from the Frontlines

The ongoing conflict in Mali has restricted access to food from the nation’s north, increased food prices, and diminished the resources needed to purchase that food, reports Helena Valencia, an Action Against Hunger Emergency Coordinator currently working in Mali.

These conditions, combined with the food security crisis that hit Mali and its neighbors in the Sahel region in 2012, have created an emergency situation with long-term implications. Watch the video below to learn more about how we are responding to this evolving humanitarian crisis.

Our Work in Mali

We have been working in Mali since 1996, and maintain four operational bases across the country.

Our key priorities amidst rising instability are to improve access to malnutrition treatment for the most vulnerable, particularly children under five, and to ensure that all Malians have access to nutritious food on both a short- and long-term basis. 

We are also continuing our work in water, sanitation and hygiene to prevent the spreading of waterborne diseases like cholera, and providing support to the water and sanitation infrastructure of Malian health centers.

The political, economic, and social crises over the past 10 months have implications for the entire Malian population, including rising unemployment, increased vulnerability, and increased pressure on communities who are supporting the displaced families.

Humanitarian crisis in Mali by the numbers:

• According to UNDP, problems of poverty in Mali are deep and structural – two-thirds of the population are living below the poverty line (64%) and the UNDP development index ranks Mali 175^th out of 182.
• Two million Malians are food insecure, lacking access to nutritious food that meets the dietary needs for an active and healthy life. 
• 10.4% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 20,000 acutely malnourished children in the Gao region alone, and we estimate that this year there will be 210,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition that can lead to death if left untreated.
• There are more than 230,000 internally displaced persons in the country (10,000 of whom are newly displaced since January) and over 150,000 Malian refugees in neighboring countries (15,000 of whom have left Mali since January). 

With your support, we’ll continue our efforts to help Malian children and families withstand this crisis and get back on their feet.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you think the response by the international community will reach all those in need in Mali? What new steps might lead to a more positive outcome for the nation’s struggling population?

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