Africa | Mali | Activism

Women in Mali demand equal role in Peace Accords

After more than three and a half years of armed conflict in Mali, a peace agreement was finally signed on 20 June 2015, marking the end of more than 10 months of mediation led by Algeria and the international community. It renewed hope for the country's population of over 15 million. “Women in Mali want peace, nothing but peace. Along with girls, they have paid the highest price with the various types of violence they have suffered, which have left wounds that will take a long time to heal,” said Ms. Sangaré Oumou Ba, the Minister for the Promotion of Women, Children and Families.

Africa | Mali | Leadership

In rural Mali, women’s climate work brings political prowess

Source: Reuters

In impoverished rural areas of this West African country, women have become central to efforts to adapt to climate change. Their work is gradually helping them increase their political clout, with more women standing in municipal elections. Samake has been measuring rainfall for 15 years under an agro-meteorological aid programme run from the capital Bamako. “Every 10 days, I send the total of rainfall levels to the meteorological services,” she explained. “I like doing that because it is important for our crop production.” Samake is one of 10,000 rural Malians, half of them w

Africa | Mali | Leadership

Meet Mali’s First Female Talk Show Host

Source: IREX

“When I look around me, I realize people need education and motivation to change their lives for the best,” says Nana Diaby, an entrepreneur and the first-ever female Malian television talk show host. Diaby, also one of 500 participants in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, came to this conclusion after witnessing the 2012 Malian coup d’état. She aspired to build a better future for new generations of youth through dialogue on her talk show, Phiphi. As a consequence of the coup, Mali was left in a state of collapse – resulting in sanctions by surrounding n

Africa | Mali | Culture

Mali law would reserve one-third of government jobs for women

Source: Washington Times

An unlikely battle in an unlikely place has broken out over a bid to guarantee Mali’s women a seat at the political table in this poor, conflict-ridden and heavily Muslim African country. If enacted, a proposed law before Malian lawmakers would reserve one-third of government jobs for women, including in elected offices. Currently, only 14 women sit in Mali’s 147-member parliament, three women belong to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s Cabinet of 33 ministers, and men claim the vast bulk of civil service positions. Activists see the quota idea as a way to jump-start the drive for

Africa | Mali | Culture

The men of the Dona community gave the women the worst land they had

Source: Care Pathways to Empowerment

The men of the Dona community gave the women the worst land they had. The women turned it into something amazing. It doesn’t look like much, this concrete dip in the ground, but it represents a lot. It shows faith in women, investment in the future, and independent spirit, and an innovative community. Find out why a few pounds of concrete means so much. This is a water holding tank in the women’s garden in Dona, a village about 300 kilometers from the Malian capital, Bamako. It’s a pretty new investment, and the community raised money for it, got the work done, and maintain