Promoting Peace through Health in Central Mali

This project aims to facilitate trust-building between rural communities and government representatives. This project seeks to build trust and cooperation in an area currently inaccessible to the government or NGOs due to violence and mistrust around pragmatic and shared health objectives with local communities actively engaged in the design of activities and dialogue. Project activities include: (1) training local health professionals community representatives and traditional networks in dialogue mediation gender sensitivity and conflict mitigation; (2) facilitating dialogue sessions with targeted communities including rural communities and government representatives on grievances needs the nature of violence and health priorities; (3) developing a health package that includes a collection of public and animal health activities with communities and health actors; and (4) establishing the conditions necessary for sustained periods of calm during which access to the targeted communities is guaranteed by community representatives including for the delivery of health packages. This project allows government health actors including Bamako and Mopti to remain in the target zone of Tenenkou in the Mopti region for extended periods which currently impossible. This project delivers services and nurtures trust between government officials and civilians. The targeted communities in 5 districts of Tenenkou are co-designing the intervention and are co-partners in securing and guaranteeing access and decreasing violence.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved trust between the local level of the Malian government and communities especially women of Mopti and Segou through the delivery of health packages co-designed by communities and government officials and facilitated by The Carter Center; (2) improved agency of communities especially women and other vulnerable groups in Mopti and Segou to address their needs; (3) increased capacity of communities especially women and women’s groups to resolve conflict internally and with government actors; (4) improved understanding of factors of violence and grievances at the local level that integrates the perspectives of women and girls; and (5) increased capacity of women and youth to participate in decision-making and in conflict mitigation. The ultimate outcome is to rebuild trust between local communities and government representatives to create a peaceful environment supporting conflict mitigation and peacebuilding.