Physical Health Mali Project #53807

Sponsor an IDP Child

by Arts To End Genocide

Project Report | Oct 5, 2026
Education - Faladje Camp Children

By Paula AlSaihati | Vice President

Children’s Program in Bamako, Mali

By Paula Al-Saihati

As you can see from the report sent out on September 22 below, the families are scattered and many now living under tarps. We have identified 10 of our children that were in our school program. Unfortunately, many are now far from not only the school they were originally attending but far from any school. The school they were previously attending has allowed the children to pass (even though they did not finish the school year) if they were passing and attending at the time the IDP Faladje Camp was razed. School started on October 1 and they have all this month to get reenrolled in another program. At the time of this writing, we are still awaiting word of which children have been enrolled in a new school.

As we start the new Women’s Training Program in a new building where the women can be trained by those previously in our programs, we will have a preschool program for the children that come with their mothers. We will have a teacher for these children that are old enough to learn some basic educational skills.

We are extremely grateful to those that have donated to our educational program as well as our other programs. These vulnerable women and children have had many challenges but they have not given up and we will not either. We will work with all those we can find as well as the little ones that will be coming soon to our newly leased building.

Shelter From the Storm

By Mitch Lewis | Executive Director

When the Malian government bulldozed 3 IDP Camps in Bamako, it caused 3,000-4,000 IDPs to flee. With no government plan or support, most ended up living on the streets of Bamako. With “rainy season” approaching, the IDPs were begging for tarp shelters to protect them from the elements. ATEG immediately responded to their pleas and supplied tarps to shelter 500 of the most vulnerable including the elderly, disabled and families with infants and young children. We expect this program to be ongoing as we provide shelters for additional IDPs who have been, once again displaced.

ATEG also responded to the unfortunate circumstances of the Women’s Coop. Over the years, ATEG had trained hundreds of these women in vocational skills which enabled them to provide for their families. When their facility was destroyed as part of the Faladje IDP Camps destruction, it left them not only homeless, but also unemployed. In response, ATEG has leased a building in Bamako to serve as their new workplace. It has rooms for the women to work as well as rooms in which additional women will be trained. There will also be a room which will serve as a childcare center so that mothers of young children can bring them to work. Additionally, the building has a storefront where the women can display and sell their merchandise.

ATEG is most grateful to our wonderful donors who allowed us to initiate this emergency response to the crisis. The IDPs of Bamako, as well as ATEG are most appreciative of your continued support, as we look to shelter additional vulnerable families.

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Jun 12, 2026
Education - Faladje Camp Children

By Paula Al-Saihati | Vice-President

Heartbreak in Bamako Continued Education

As noted in our last report written by Mitch Lewis, our Executive Director, the Faladje IDP Camp was razed by the government. At this time, we are in touch with nearly all of the families that we were working with prior to the dispersal of the camp. We are still distributing rice and working on a plan to help the women that were trained get back to work even though they are now scattered in various parts of Bamako.

Another casualty of this government action is our children’s education program. Our children were close to completing their third year of school, pending taking their last test, required to advance to the next grade. After they were forced to leave Faladje, it was not possible to transfer the students who were scattered around Bamako into their local schools in a timely manner. We are in consultation with the schools to grant these children a waiver due to these most unfortunate circumstances. At this writing, we are still waiting for permission for the children that passed the first two exams, to be allowed to advance to the next grade

By Mitch Lewis | Executive Director

It is with much sadness that I write this report about the current situation in Bamako, Mali and how it is impacting our programs. For the past 8 years ATEG has been running programs to improve the lives of women and children who fled terrorism in Central Mali. They came to Bamako, the capital city which is in Southern Mali. Many settled on an active garbage dump called the Faladje IDP Camp. This was the primary camp that ATEG focused on. Over the years we have run programs for Women’s Skills Training, Childhood Education, Food Distribution and provided Healthcare.

For the past few years the military government has demanded these IDPs return to their homes in Central Mali. However, the terrorist activity that drove them out has only gotten worse, so most refused to leave. A few weeks ago the government bulldozed the camp and forced the residents to leave. Some are currently living in Bamako with relatives, some are living in abandoned housing, some are on the streets.

So how does this impact the ATEG programs? Logistically things are most difficult since our beneficiaries are scattered around the city. We have set up a command post in the offices of our partner in Bamako, ADICOM. They have been able to remain in contact with most of them and will continue food distribution at their office. With ATEGs help, they plan to build on to their facility to provide space for the women to continue sewing as well as conducting the other businesses they had started.

On top of all this, the jihadists have cut off the main roads to Bamako causing food and fuel shortages. They also attacked the dam causing power disruptions. All in all a heartbreaking situation. ATEG will continue to offer whatever support we can to help these women and children who have experienced more suffering than any person should ever know.

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Feb 17, 2026
Faladji Camp February 2026

By Paula Al-Saihati | Vice President

February 2026: Sponsor an IDP Child in the

Faladje Camp, Bamako, Mali

The children’s program started a little late this Fall because of a gas shortage in the Bamako area, but after a short delay, school opened as usual. We had 21 students ready to begin 2nd and 3rd grades. Unfortunately, one of our children died while visiting family in Central Mali. Two other children moved to another area, but we have been told they are continuing their education in another school which we are very happy about. We now have 18 children in school. At this time, all are passing and attendance has been good. There are still times when a child is required to stay home because the mother must be gone and needs someone to watch the younger siblings.

Here is a success story from one of the children:

“My name is Handia. I am 11 years old and I am attending 3rd grade. I have not repeated any class. My parents wanted to leave the Faladje site and relocate to the surrounding area of Bamako where they said they can live in tranquility, avoiding daily controls, stress, and pressure of the police in the camp. I told my parents that I am now feeling good with my friends, my teachers, and my school. What will happen to my schooling and my education if we move? Having said this, my father, who used to be strong in his decisions, looked at me and smiled. I felt something had happened. He changed his mind and postponed the relocation. I hope he won’t talk about it anymore. I am so glad and proud of him as he has just realized how my education matters not only to me, but to him. This was not the case a few years back, but since ATEG has given me the chance to go to school, my father is very happy for me to get an education.”

Arts to End Genocide continues to give rice to residents at Camp Faladje. We used to feed approximately 300 people but since 27 of the 30 NGO’s that worked in the camp have now left, we increased rice to nearly half the Camp. We continue to pay doctors that treat not only the residents in the Faladje Camp but the street children also. We also pay for medicine, continue skills training for the women. One of the projects we continue to work on is to enhance the soap to make it mosquito resistant. The ladies continue to sew for people in the camp and for the students making their uniforms and backpacks, milk processing continues as well as the art of henna. The garden project outside of Bamako has been a success.

We will soon have a “food cart” that 5 women will run so they can sell food in the market. The Women’s Cooperative is active and the ladies can use it to borrow money as needed which makes them more independent from us. This, of course, was our intention and we do hope this continues to be a source of income for them.

One of our goals is to possibly get more children in school next Fall depending on funds available. If you would like to sponsor a child or know someone that might like to sponsor a child, please share Arts to End Genocide’s information. www.artstoendgenocide.org We thank you all for your continued support for these our brothers and sisters in Mali.

Links:

http://www.artstoendgenocide.org

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