Vaccinate Children and Prevent NINE Diseases

From July '16 to June '17, the Ouelessebougou Alliance was able to vaccinate 5,543 children and pregnant women, in partnership with our local health workers. For many villagers, these vaccinations can mean a literal difference between life and death, or the difference between a happy and comfortable life as opposed to one of disease and discomfort. For others, it is a necessary precautionary measure against nine diseases that threaten their life. However, for other villagers, these vaccinations mean much more.

The average individual in Mali lives on approximately $800 a year. This average is even somewhat skewed, when one considers that the earning power of those in Bamako and other metropolitan areas can be significantly higher than their village counterparts, such as those living in our sister villages in Ouelessebougou. 

In other words, many residents of Ouelessebougou are up against much more than nine preventable diseases. They are proactively working to fight againt injustice, generational poverty, disenfranchisement, a lack of economic opportunity, or prejudice. When compared to these issues, the nine preventable diseases can begin to seem like less of an obstacle. However, sustainable change can often start with physical health improvements and education, the two areas which the Alliance has chosen to focus on through our health and education programs. This is why receiving these nine vaccinations is so important, and it is why the Alliance has chosen to focus on improving health and education, the roots of sustainable change. Your donation plays a huge role in creating this sustainable change. Iniche! 

I recently took my 16-year-old daughter to her annual well check-up. At this appointment, she received the last of her childhood vaccinations. I couldn't help but feel gratitude for the routine immunizations she's had since she was a baby. An opportunity that I've often taken for granted. We can provide this same opportunity to the children of Ouelessebougou and give them the chance for a healthy life. We are saving thousands of lives -- one shot at a time!

The Mali government is able to provide vaccinations in and around the Ouelessebougou commune, but they are not able to reach the rural villages where we work. Thanks to generous donors like you, we are able to pay for the physician and provide the transportation and vaccination cards in these villages. Because of our relationship with the village health workers, this process is seamless and the villages can have even more of their children immunized from deadly diseases.

On the days we bring vaccinations to the village, women and children line up by the dozens because they understand the value and importance of these critical immunizations. This past program year, the Alliance provided over 4,000 vaccinations to infants and children ages 0 - 5. We owe our deepest gratitude to YOU for making that possible. Your donations continue to decrease the number of illnesses and deaths in the Ouelessebougou region. Iniche!