Sponsor an IDP Child

July 2025

Sponsor an IDP Child at the Faladje Camp in Bamako, Mali

We continue to have the “Sponsor an IDP Child” program at the Faladje Camp.  Due to the unrest in Mali there has been some fluidity in the people living there even though there are still approximately 1,200 people living on this garbage dump.  

It seems that now things have settled down in the area of the Camp and we were able to support 23 children in first and second grades this past year. 12 children went to first grade and 13 went to second grade.  The language at the school is French which makes it difficult for the children because this language is not spoken at home.  Nevertheless, most of the children have learned. In general, those that attended the classes passed. There was an average of 89% attendance rate with 17 of the students attending at least  90% of the time.  We have been told this is an outstanding rate for students that are IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons).  

When you sponsor a child, your donation is used primarily for the child’s education, including school fees, supplies, clothing, etc. A small portion of the money goes to funding ATEG’s other programs at the Faladje Camp to help these vulnerable people survive.  Our goal is to make these families more self-sufficient.  In the meantime, we are now providing enough rice for 600 beneficiaries and providing doctors and medicine for those in need.  Our skills training programs for women have helped with their independence.  We taught an initial group of 15 women to sew, bought sewing machines, and a building to store the machines and for the women to work. They, in turn, have taught other women to sew.   We did a soap making program and a milk processing program to further educate the women.  Outside of the Camp we set up an organic garden, drilling a bore hole for water and teaching the women to grow crops.  Several women were taught the art of henna, an old art of painting the hands and feet for various festivals and celebrations.  All these skills are for the purpose of helping families improve their standard of living and hopefully at some point be able to support themselves.  

We have a long way to go to help these children. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please check the website (www.artstoendgenocide.org) and choose a child.  Tell a friend about this program, so that they too might want to sponsor a child and give them an education and a chance for a brighter future.