USAID-Supported Activities in Sikasso Region

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following fact sheet:

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- Peace Democracy and Governance

- Mali Sub-National Governance Project

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The Mali Sub-National Governance Project (SNGP) works with national and sub-national government institutions, such as the Regional Council, the Regional Development Agency, the Communal Council, and Civil Society Organizations, to capitalize on renewed efforts to decentralize authority and resources in Mali. The project works to advance Mali's regionalization process by increasing the ability of sub-national government entities to provide effective, responsive, and accountable service delivery to the citizens of Mali, particularly in the areas of health and education. Additionally, SNGP works to ensure that public funds intended for regional and local services are transferred and spent effectively and transparently.

MALI JUSTICE PROJECT

The Mali Justice Project (MJP) supports the formal and informal justice sectors and civil society to advance institutional reforms, increase access to justice, and reduce corruption, ultimately to enhance the delivery of justice services in Mali. This will improve the operational capacities of key justice sector institutions, the National Direction of Justice Administration and the courts, and increase the availability of information on legal services, citizen rights, and justice-related reforms so that citizens better understand their rights under the Malian legal system. The project will also provide targeted legal and advocacy services along key trade routes to reduce the level of corruption and negative economic and social impact on Malians.

EMPOWERING MALIANS THROUGH ELECTION, REFORM AND GOVERNANCE EFFORTS

The Empowering Malians through Election, Reform and Governance Efforts (EMERGE) aims to advance peace, reconciliation and more accountable governance through credible and inclusive national elections. The program supported voters, activists, observers and candidates to participate in the 2018 presidential elections, and continues to advocate for key electoral and political process reforms following the elections. Currently, this nationwide program focuses on political and electoral reforms with the Ministry of Territorial Administration as well as supports activities under the Gender Law to improve women's leadership for increased political participation.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

Designed to foster greater inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups, the Civic Engagement Program (CEP) aims to reinforce youth and community based organization's watchdog role to provide checks and balances over the State in order to improve public sector service delivery and budget allocation. Focused on the demand side of democratic governance, it is designed to complement USAID's supply-side Sub-National Governance Project, but both projects will actively target improved outcomes across development sectors. By emphasizing citizen empowerment and inclusion, CEP reinforces unity through diversity as one citizenry.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION OF DEAF AND BLIND CHILDREN INTO MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS

The Inclusive Education of Deaf and Blind Children into Mainstream Schools Project works to increase access to quality education for disabled children, especially deaf and blind children. In Sikasso, the project works with Parents and Teachers' Association and the Associations of People with Disability. This project--implemented by Handicap International-- tests adapted, innovative and efficient strategies to successfully enroll deaf and blind children into mainstream schools in the urban commune of Sikasso, and ensure school performance in reading and writing. Moreover, the project works with the Ministry of Education to ensure the Policy and Action Plan on Special Education is updated and effectively implemented.

THE SELECTIVE INTEGRATED READING ACTIVITY

The Selective Integrated Reading Activity (SIRA) aims to improve the reading skills of over 295,327 students in primary grades. SIRA project focuses on improving the reading skills of over nearly 295,327 students and 11,442 teachers in 5,691 schools. The project implements a range of activities including: training teachers in reading and writing instructional practices in mother tongue language (Bamanankan), the use of classroom-based assessments, and engaging parents, communities and private sector businesses to support early grade reading. In Sikasso, the project works in 1,100 schools with 7,072 students in grade 1 and 6,769 students in grade 2; giving a total of 13,841 students. SIRA trained 1100 school directors and 2,200 teachers. Also, the project distributed 27,682 reading materials for students and 2,200 for teachers. GH SUPPLY CHAIN FOR PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (GHSC-PSM)

To further support the United States' objective of responsive and accountable local healthcare delivery, GHSC-PSM provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Health for improving the functionality of the drug and commodity supply chain system. Activities include planning, quantification, and long-term forecasting of drug needs to ensure that the right quantities of health commodities are ordered each year, and properly transported from central warehouses to health centers throughout the country, including rural and remote areas. The project supports also the Logistics Management Information System that includes improving the use of data regarding the availability and use of health commodities to avoid stock-outs. Better coordination of donors engaged in providing medical products was realized to follow up that they could fulfil their respective commitment and make product available for all regions including Sikasso.

MEASURE EVALUATION

This project contributes to the improvement and the functionality of Mali's Health Management Information System. It supports the capacity building of the Ministry of Health in evidence based planning and decision-making skills to efficiently use its own limited domestic resources for health. By supporting the Ministry to generate and use health information, the project is helping Mali to become more self-reliant in the planning of its own health services.

* It supports the National Directorate of Health, 10 Regional Health Directions and 65 Health Districts to conduct data analyses, to document change in the country's health burden and identify programming gaps.

* Support participation of staff to continuous training on Health Information Management System curriculum through the University of Bamako medical faculty programs.

* Contribute to the improvement of drug stock management through Pilot District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) using SMS alerts system.

* Train health staff at national, regional and district levels of the system on data collection, entry, and analysis.

* Support the national health system in the development and dissemination of policies, and tools for health data management.

HEALTH POLICY PROJECT (HP+ )

This project works to improve the efficiency of government of Mali Ministries to deliver high quality primary healthcare services; specifically in the areas of maternal, newborn and child health and reproductive health. HP+ Project will also help Malians advocate for key policy and financial reforms to the national health system. Further to their advocacy efforts, 26 communes have accepted to pay the motivations of 105 community health workers with internal funding in Sikasso region. This will help to sustain availability trained volunteer that works to improve the health of women and children in designated villages.

STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS IN MALI - LINKAGES

Linkages provide HIV prevention, care, and treatment services to 7,100 Malians among the key populations with elevated risk for HIV in 2018. The key populations include men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and partners of sex workers. This project also strengthens local capacity to lead the response to the epidemic through local NGOs that provide the mentioned services (SOUTOURA and ARCAD in Sikasso). For the first three quarters of 2019, a total of 100% of those reached has been tested and received their HIV results. In addition, 43% of all individuals who have been newly tested positive for HIV were enrolled in care and 73% of referred HIV patients will achieve viral load suppression.

THE PRESIDENTIAL MALARIA INITIATIVE (PMI)

Since 2008, the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative has worked in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene to diagnose and treat malaria--a partnership that has saved millions of Malian lives. Working alongside Mali's National Malaria Control Program, PMI, along with many partners and countless communities, has scaled up proven, cost-effective interventions to prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria. The initiative is helping increase Mali's ability to sustainably provide essential malaria services to its own citizens. Malaria prevalence for children from 6-59 months has declined from 52% to 19% between 2013-2018. This reduction is due to higher coverage and usage of key malaria interventions such as: bed net, seasonal malaria prevention, case management and indoor residual spraying. For example according to 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, the percentage of pregnant women sleeping under a bed net increased from 73% in 2012 to 76% in 2018. PMI has contributed to fund the high impact health services (SSGI) implemented by Save the Children and a strong social behavior change communication project (Keneya Jamu Kan) implemented by John Hopkins University.

HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH (HRH2030) PROJECT

HRH2030 works to sustainably improve the Government of Mali's (GOM) ability to provide a sufficient number of health workers who are capable of providing high-quality health services in 10 district hospitals (CSREF) totaling 253 community health centers in Sikasso region. The project builds the GOM's capacity to recruit, train, and deploy qualified health workers throughout the country, including rural areas. Its overall goal is to improve health outcomes for the Malian population by ensuring an adequate supply of qualified health workers who can sustain progress towards ending preventable child and maternal deaths and preventing of pandemic influenza and other emerging threats, including Ebola. More than 390 providers including 51 new staff have been coached improving the quality of key health services for women and children in the region: antenatal and postnatal care, birth, family planning, nutrition and client centered services. Overall, providers' compliance with norms varies from 61% a 79%.

INTEGRATED RURAL PROGRAM TO IMPROVE NUTRITION AND HYGIENE IN MALI (PNH)

PNH has worked to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and of children younger than 2 years. The program reached 236 villages with nutrition, agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene community activities and 85,000 pregnant/lactating women and children under age 2. In addition, PNH strengthened the capacity of 139 community health centers, certified 207 villages as open defecation free community and rehabilitated 41 water points.

SORGHUM AND MILLET SCALING

The goal of Africa Rising's Large Scale Diffusion of Technologies for Sorghum and Millet Systems (ARDT-SMS) is to increase the productivity and profitability of sorghum and millet producers. A number of improved technologies have been promoted, such as improved open-pollinated varieties and hybrids of sorghum and millet; seed treatment with Apron star (a fungicide-insecticide mixture), integrated soil fertility; management of the parasitic weed Striga (by improving soil quality and manual removal), and using predator insects to control the millet head miner pest. Activities have included marketing plots with side-by-side technology comparisons; farmer-to-farmer evaluation visits; farmer field schools; training of extension workers; and for broader dissemination, the use of video, radio and television campaigns. The project also sponsors agricultural input fairs; sensitizes agro dealers to prepare seed packs of millet and sorghum varieties for small holders works with private sector partners to enhance the availability of inputs (seeds, fertilizers and chemicals ); and promotes linkages with initiatives (collective sales/purchase, warrantage, Innovative Platform) to strengthen the market for the two crops.

SCALING-UP CLIMATE-SMART AGROFORESTRY TECHNOLOGIES (SMAT-SCALING)

SmAT-Scaling is a five-year, $11.7 million project aiming to enhance access to and use of tree-based climate-smart technologies through effective scaling-up of proven agroforestry technologies, as well as improved market access, in order to increase food and nutritional security; improve resilience in communities that practice agroforestry as a regular farming practice; and promoting public-private partnership for products such as shea, beeswax, Jatropha, and fruit-bearing tree species like Balanites, Baobab and Zabban. The activity promotes proven low-cost and sustainable techniques to better integrate select trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes to improve the environmental and social resilience of vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by economic and climate shocks.

MALI HORTICULTURE SCALING PROJECT

USAID is integrating agriculture and nutrition activities that have the potential of increasing the consumption of diversified and nutrient-rich diets. This project works to reduce malnutrition and increase dietary diversity, especially among children, by promoting the production and consumption of vegetables as affordable sources of vitamin-rich foods. USAID works to improve the nutrition and health status of households in target communities through the accelerated deployment and use of market-attractive and diet-enhancing improved vegetable technologies in addition to increased knowledge on nutrition.

FINANCING FOR FOOD SECURITY AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (FFSWE)

The FFSWE Program creates a more robust agricultural financial sector by facilitating access to finance and providing financial management assistance to agribusinesses, women-led enterprises, and micro-finance institutions (MFIs). FFSWE works closely with a USAID Development Credit Authority (DCA) that guarantees loans made by Bank of Africa to support women-owned and agricultural enterprises. This project has supported around 520 Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who have received loans valued at $436,911 including: Barokia, a women-owned enterprise serving as a cereal aggregator from small producers who received a 10 million FCFA loan; and Fatie Sanogo, an animal fattening enterprise in Farakala who has now successfully managed multiple small loans and has developed a multi-year relationship with a local MFI. FFSWE has also facilitated several larger DCA-backed loans to MFIs in a 500 million FCFA loan to Baobab (formerly Microcred), where Baobab's staff participated in training on agricultural financing and helped to develop new financial products to promote animal fattening enterprises in Sikasso.

MALI SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION PROJECT

This activity aims to improve food security and the nutritional status of the Malian population by increasing and diversifying agricultural production. Proximity Irrigation contributes to strengthening the resilience of farmers against climatic hazards, specifically the annual variation in rainfall distribution which can often lead to drought. This activity is part of a multi-donor effort to assist the Malian government's National Program for Small-Scale Irrigation 2012-2021 (Programme National d'Irrigation de Proximite, PNIP), with the objective of developing 126,000 hectares (ha) across all regions in Mali (Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Segou, Mopti, Tombouctou, Gao and Kidal). To date 2,694 irrigation systems have been developed under PNIP in the Sikasso region, of which USAID is constructing 12 small-scale irrigation schemes covering 480 ha in Koutiala and Yorosso Cercles.

MALI LIVESTOCK TECHNOLOGY SCALING PROGRAM (MLTSP)

Through the MLTSP project, USAID works to increase the productivity, volume and value of livestock trade at the household level. The project has seen promising results in improving animal health through good practices facilitated by communities and market actors working together on vaccination campaigns; increasing the capacity of women producer organizations to raise and market sheep successfully; and introducing crop forage to improve animal feed, while helping women owners to develop and produce fodder independently.