Drought and turmoil in Mali: Q&A on the IRC's emergency response

Q.  What are the most acute needs we’re dealing with?  

 

A.  In southern Mali, we’re working in the densely populated Kati District, which encircles the capital.  Almost a million people live in the area we serve.  Because of food shortages, malnutrition among children is a serious problem.  And it’s exacerbated by the fact that many families are not aware that their children are malnourished and don’t seek out help that’s available.

 

Q.  How do you address the problem?

 

A.  We provide child-nutrition support for health clinics, where we are repairing wells and creating special centers for mothers and children.  Equally important, we conduct community outreach in villages to help families recognize child malnutrition so they can seek out nutrition supplements.  We’ve even hired a local theater group to visit villages and put on open-air skits in the evening to get the message across.  Often hundreds of people – men, women and children — attend these performances.   

Q.  What are the needs in the rebel-held areas of the north?

A.  Although thousands of people have fled from the north to neighboring countries to escape the extremists, many others have stayed within its borders but have moved to locations that are more secure.  For them, getting clean water is often a major challenge, since the surface water they are driven to use is usually polluted and causes water-borne diseases, heightening the risk of cholera.

Q  Is the IRC able to help in the north?

A.  Yes.  Members of our staff who are natives of the area are able to travel to deliver aid.  They’ve restored access to water in locations where it’s most needed, and they’re working to get water points repaired.  As for cholera, the most effective strategy is prevention, so we are carrying out a hygiene promotion campaign in villages and at health centers.  And we’re distributing water purification kits in risky areas so families can be sure to have clean water.  

Q.  Are we working with refugees who have fled Mali?

A.  At the Abala refugee camp across the border in Niger, we’ve just completed an assessment of the needs of women for emergency protection and reproductive health services.  And because children are frequently separated from their families when refugees take flight, we are conducting an assessment of the need for cross-border identification, tracing and reunification of children who have been separated from their families.  

Q.  You’ve worked with uprooted populations in northern Uganda, Congo, Libya, the Middle East and Nepal.  How does the situation in Mali compare with other humanitarian crises?

 

A.  Mali seemed stable for many years, so its people are shocked by how rapidly it has become enveloped in turmoil, and they’re devastated by the conflict in the north that has caused hundreds of thousands to flee.  It’s a difficult time for everyone, but especially the children.  We’re doing our best to serve the needs of the Malians and help them get through these multiple crises.