Project profile — Supporting the to Integrated Fight Against Chronic Malnutrition in Mali

• Mali (100.00%)

• Basic Health: Basic nutrition (12240) (30.00%)
• Population Policies/Programmes And Reproductive Health: Population policy and administrative management (13010) (18.00%)
• Basic drinking water supply:
Basic drinking water supply (14031) (14.00%)
Basic sanitation (14032) (15.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (5.00%)
• Agriculture: Food crop production (31161) (18.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Nutrition (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)

This project aims to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women in the Kayes and Sikasso regions. The project addresses 3 major causes of chronic malnutrition: access to adequate care, healthy environment and appropriate nutrition. Project activities include: (1) developing and implementing behavioural change strategies with communities to promote access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and adolescent girls; (2) training approximately 150 health workers (including 66% of women) in sexual and reproductive health, family planning, early childhood feeding and nutrition, and respect for the rights of women and adolescent girls; (3) rehabilitating or building approximately 40 water points and 60 family or school latrines, taking into account the specific needs of women and girls; and (4) providing women's groups with inputs and equipment for processing, storing and marketing high nutritional value products. The project aims to benefit an estimated 728,000 people, including 52.7 % women and adolescent girls and 46.9 % children under 5 years of age, and indirectly benefit the entire population of the 4 target districts, i.e. more than 2,088,000 people.

The expected outcomes for this project include : (1) increased utilization of primary health and sexual and reproductive health services by women and adolescent girls, including for their children, in the health districts of Bafoulabé, Kayes, Kita and Sikasso; (2) sustained adoption of adequate hygiene, sanitation and nutrition practices, particularly for women and girls in the targeted health districts; (3) increased autonomy, decision-making power and economic resilience of women producers, processors and traders of high nutritional value agricultural products in the targeted health districts.

Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) increased the percentage of women aged 15 to 49 who make decisions about their own healthcare, from 3% to 5% to 22.8%; (2) supported access to sexual and reproductive health services for 364,776 people, including 191,698 in year 4; (3) provided the 4 prenatal consultations recommended by the WHO to 75.2% of women; (4) built 250 ecological latrines, created 10 new water points, and provided specific nutritional activities to 86,994 people in year 4, including 24,622 women and 13,445 adolescent girls; (5) sensitized 12,668 mothers on the use of Baby WASH kits and 455 people, including 175 girls, 149 boys and 131 adults (teachers, mothers, school administrators, and community authorities) participated in sessions on menstrual hygiene in eight schools; (6) increased by 153% the monthly income of women in the agro-pastoral and market gardening sectors in Sikasso, from 16,495 CFA francs to 41,805 CFA francs; (7) formally allocated of 143 hectares of land to women, including 18 hectares in year 4; and (8) trained 5,213 women in the processing and marketing of high-nutritional-value agricultural products.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Supporting the Integrated Fight Against Chronic Malnutrition in Mali - Response to COVID-19