Help Build a Future for IDP Women & Children

We at ATEG are all very proud of the many folks who have contributed to the success of the City of Children’s Clinic of Mali. It took the combined efforts of many caring individuals, organizations and institutions to enable us to establish our free clinic to serve the 6,000 street children of Bamako.

Our initial mission was to treat children who had medical conditions as a result of the lack of footwear. However, we soon discovered that large numbers of children we were seeing, had additional serious, but treatable conditions. The most prevalent cases were malaria and bilharzia (a parasitic infection usually caused by drinking contaminated water.) We also found health issues among children who were living in waste disposal sites. We therefore expanded our mission to also provide medical help to these children. In one particular case, we treated a young boy with an advanced case of malaria. The physician told us that if he hadn’t been treated that day, by the next day he would have died. We have been also been distributing treated bed nets as well as medicine.

The Mali Ministry of Health has been most supportive of our program. During the month of April they gave us 4 full time physicians. Working at the clinic from early morning into the evening, thus far they have examined 2,700 children. At the end of April, the number will far exceed 3,000 children. The April Outreach Campaign was covered on Mali national TV as well as many other media outlets.

One of our wonderful donors has provided funding for us to establish a food program, whereby every child who visits for an examination, is given a nutritional meal. They are also given a pair of KLEM shoes.

We are hopeful that in the future we will be able to expand the program even further. Our next step is to establish a series of satellite clinics in rural villages near Bamako. Support from the GlobalGiving community is always welcome. Thank you.

 As the “Heeling Our World” project expands our “footprint” throughout Africa, thousand of women are being taught to make KLEM shoes. As part of the program to Train The Trainers, they are also asked to pass this skill on to other women in nearby villages, thereby greatly increasing the impact of our project

Mali

During the holidays, 5,000 children were brought to Bamako from throughout Mali. Many of these children were brought to our clinic to be examined. Our first group of 18 women and 3 men who completed the KLEM making course where presented with Certificates of Accomplishment. They will be producing shoes for the children who are examined at the Bamako, Mali clinic. A number of these women will also take their new skills back to their rural villages throughout Mali. They will establish cottage industries where they will produce shoes to be sold at local marketplaces. Selling KLEM shoes at local marketplaces generates enough income so that they can also produce and distribute free shoes to the village children. This model gives the women economic empowerment and a pathway out of poverty, while at the same time giving their children a chance for a healthier life.

Uganda

We are supplying and training women in the Butagaya Bwasa Women's Group, near Jinja.

DR Congo

We are just beginning our project in Mpasa, a very poor community on the outskirts of Kinshasa.