Help Build a Future for IDP Women & Children

As we all focus on the impact on our individual communities and on our nation, we must also be mindful that this is a global event. We all share this tiny little planet and all share a common humanity, As global citizens we are all connected to our brothers and sisters around the world. When disaster strikes their lives, the ripple effect may soon wind up on our shores. Before this, who ever heard of Wuhan, China?

As Covid-19 spreads to Africa, Arts To End Genocide (ATEG) is committed to helping our friends in Mali stay safe. We understand the importance of preventing their fragile healthcare systems from getting overwhelmed. Therefore it is essential for them to follow the same preventative guidelines that we have implemented in the U.S.

In the U.S. we have all learned the importance of hand washing. For the street children of Bamako this is not an easy matter. The only water that is accessible to them is contaminated river water. So ATEG has established a series of hand washing stations, which are available to the children and the community. At the clinic, which is in the heart of the City of Children District, we have installed permanent hand washing sinks on the exterior of the building. They are operated by foot pedals and are supplied with bars of soap. The clinic’s medical staff is educating the children on the importance of hand washing, social distancing and proper hygiene. ATEG has also purchased and is distributing mobile hand washing stations to schools, facilities that shelter abandoned children and to the IPD camps. These units hold 100 liters of clean water and are in wide use throughout Africa as part of the USAID WASH program. These units and our clinic sinks are also a source of clean drinking water for the children.

Another preventative step we have taken is producing face masks. Over the past few years ATEG has trained a group of women how to make shoes for their barefoot children. We are now employing these ladies to make face masks, which are all donated to the community.

Maybe these seem like small steps in light of the magnitude of this crisis. But Mali is the world’s fifth poorest country and receives very little help. We at ATEG are committed to helping the children of Mali survive this crisis. Although we are all focused on our own communities and nation, it is also important to remember that until this pandemic is totally defeated globally, there is always the chance it will return to our shores.