ACF International Network
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Action Against Hunger has developed its water and sanitation expertise over nearly three decades of field work, advancing a number of solutions for populations at risk from water insecurity.
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Central to the targeting of malnutrition, Action Against Hunger extends water and sanitation improvements to communities with little or no access to proper sources.
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Action Against Hunger's programs are sustainable because of our commitment to community participation—to build local capacity and harnesses a population's energy and resources.
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Though strategies may vary, our food security interventions all share a common goal: to fight hunger by preserving and strengthening livelihoods in a sustainable and contextual manner.
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Action Against Hunger’s innovative food security programs offer a broad range of solutions for generating income, boosting food production, and strengthening livelihoods.
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Our comprehensive approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate sanitation.
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Action Against Hunger occupies a unique place among international organizations: our expertise encompasses emergency relief, longer-term development, and the terrain in between.
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We have developed an effective method to treat acute malnutrition that includes field-tested protocols and nutritional products backed by an international scientific advisory committee.
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Action Against Hunger helps rehabilitate and restock public health infrastructure, fields mobile health clinics, and trains local medical personnel on preventative and diagnostic care.
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Our comprehensive programs address the linkages between disease and malnutrition by coordinating with local expertise and strengthening existing public health systems.
ACF International Map
Where We Work

Mali
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Although the political situation has stabilized since 1995 (peace agreement with the Tuareg) poverty related problems in Mali, which has one of the world's lowest ratings on the Human Development Index, are structural in nature.

Program Information

Directing HQ: 
Action Against Hunger - Spain
Launch Date: 
January 1996
World Region: 
Africa
Location(s): 
Kidal and Gao regions
Expatriates: 
13
Local Staff: 
78
Beneficiaries: 
250,000people
Funding: 
European Commission, ECHO, USAID, OFDA, AECI, Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Government of Navarra, Caja Navarra, Uria Mendes, WFP, Acción contra el Hambre

Humanitarian Context

Although the political situation has stabilized since 1995 (peace agreement with the Tuareg) poverty related problems in Mali, which has one of the world's lowest ratings on the Human Development Index, are structural in nature. Moreover, the relative social calm in the country is periodically interrupted by trade union strikes and student protests.

  • 65% of the territory is desert or semi-desert
  • 10% of the population is nomadic. 80% of employment is linked to livestock and fishing.

The Sahel region suffers from continuous droughts, which each year further worsen the food insecurity of the most vulnerable population. The process of desertification is endangering livestock, the basis of many families' sustenance.

Mali is one of the sub-Saharan countries worst affected by the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS: according to official statistics 1.7% of the population is HIV positive. However it is likely that this percentage is much higher. The country is particularly vulnerable to the fluctuations of prices on the international agricultural market. The fall in the international price of cotton, for example, has had a severe impact on the country's economy.

Area(s) of Work

Nutrition: 
  • Implementation of a nutrition monitoring system through health staff training
  • Support to the Gao hospital’s Therapeutic Feeding Centre
  • Nutrition surveys and analysis of malnutrition causes
  • Technical support for the creation of a national protocol for the treatment of malnutrition, in cooperation with the Mali Government and UNICEF
  • Training for pregnant women on nutrition practices and the importance of prenatal care
Food Security: 
  • Strengthening of commercial networks for local market sales
  • Improvement of the shepherding and agricultural systems
  • Rehabilitation of production areas for agriculture and shepherding
  • Support to the management of the cooperative networks of Gao and Kidal
  • Income-generating activities
  • Support to the management of food stock
  • Support to the agricultural professional training center of Sahel
  • Cooperation with the Geographical Information System for early alert and prevention of alimentary crisis
  • Activity coordinated between the Mali and Niger missions
Water & Sanitation: 
  • Construction and rehabilitation of water points
  • Training on hygiene practices
  • Organization of health conferences
  • Teachers training for hygiene workshops for children
Health: 
  • Support for access to basic health services in Gao
  • Establishment of community centers for pregnant women
  • Training of health workers in child health, family planning and reproductive health