1,153 households receive financial support from World Vision's resilience project after building assets
In central Mali, already lacking strong development infrastructure, communities living in rural areas, face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day life, including drought, food insecurity and poverty.
In 2019, WFP (world Food Program) launched an integrated resilience-building program aimed at creating or rehabilitating community assets, restoring degraded ecosystems, promoting education, improving nutrition and creating jobs for young people.
In partnership with WFP, World Vision Mali emergency response is implementing a project to strengthen the resilience of people affected by the security crisis and the effects of climate change in the commune of Sio.
The project's resilience-building activities focus on drilling boreholes, reforestation, reclamation of bare soil with stone barriers and crescents, composting, rehabilitation of roads, filling in ponds, rice cultivation, hedges to protect wire fences, construction of modern fish ponds, fodder crops, etc.
As of April 2023, more than 1,153 households are involved in these asset-building activities through World Vision's Emergency Response Resilience Project in Sio commune in Central Mali. That's why they are paid for the days they work on the project. These cash distributions aim to help them meet the basic daily needs of their families. As a result, more than 6,918 people in over six villages in the Sio community benefit from this project.
Mrs. Sèrèmé, a 61-year-old mother of three, is one of the people who participated in the resilience project activities and received cash from World Vision. Like all the other people selected for the project, this widowed mother was paid for the total number of days she spent participating in community activities.
"I was lucky to be one of the people selected by World Vision for the resilience project, which supports assets’ creation or rehabilitation in my village. They pay us according to the number of days we have worked on the project.” She said.
“We worked in the community to repair community roads, practice zaï, make compost and create a fish farm for the village". She joyfully shared.
"In the past, despite my age, I used to go out every day to collect gravel, which I sold to earn some money to feed my small family.” She continues.
"Farming is our main activity here. All my children are farmers. I lost their father more than four years ago. Today, they are the ones who support me financially and help me to cover my basic need including food.” She tells us
"Unfortunately, we don't always have a good harvest every rainy season. Last season, despite the rains, we did not have a satisfactory harvest because we did not have the money to buy good seeds and fertilizer for the fields.” Sèrèmé reveals.
"Thank God, these cash distributions from World Vision will be very useful for us this year, because we will be able to buy good seeds for the rainy season, which is just beginning. We'll also be able to provide for our families' small needs.”
“Personally, I'm also hoping to buy a small sheep for fattening. We are very grateful to World Vision for this tremendous support. May God continue to bless them so that they in turn can help us in these difficult times.” She concludes.