Vaccinate Children and Prevent NINE Diseases

Recently, I have been reading critiques on international NGOS written by anthropologists, development experts, academics and other individuals intimately familiar with the field. I strongly believe that no individual or organization is above criticism, and for this reason I've been introspectively analyzing not only the Ouelessebougou Alliance, but the organizations that we partner with as well.

The strongest critique that I have consistently found in these papers, both academic and editorial, is the lack of sustainability in programs implemented by certain international non-profit organizations. Sometimes, programs have been designed by individuals that, while knowledgeable, are far removed from the daily struggles affecting their target populations.

Although the Alliance, like any other organization, certainly has room for improvement, we continue to pride ourselves in our model of development which emphasizes sustainability and villager involvement above all else. Unfortunately, countless stories exist of well-intentioned initiatives failing due to a lack of buy-in from the local populace. While we have problems like any other organization, this is not one of them. All Alliance programs are villager-initiated and emphasize sustainability - a fact we are very proud of.

Lastly, nearly all of the papers I read emphasized vaccinations as a simple but effective way to change lives. I know this to be true because I have heard of it first-hand from our field director. For the villagers of Ouelessebougou, vaccinations represent several additional years of life, as opposed to a routine visit to the doctor like it may be for many of us. Thank you for supporting our vaccination program. Thank you for caring about the people of Mali. Most importantly, thank you for saving lives.