Mali ranks 173 out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index for 2007/2008.  The mortality rate for under-five children is 19.6% according to the latest UNICEF State of the World Children’s report.  The principal causes of infant mortality and morbidity are malaria, acute respiratory disease and diarrhoea diseases, which account for nearly 70% of the total number of children’s death in the country.

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CERF allocates $1.5 million to drought-affected populations in Mali

UNICEF sanitation programme in Mali  [Photo: UNICEF]

18 March 2010: CERF has allocated $1.5 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WFP) to assist drought victims in the most at risk parts of the city of Kidal and its periphery.

FAO has been allocated $650,000 for emergency assistance to the populations of the region of Kidal, by supplying animal feed and veterinarian kits. UNICEF will use $623,000 to provide a reliable drinking water supply system, for example, by rehabilitating the existing water supply network and constructing two pumping/distribution stations to vulnerable people in Kidal.  In addition, WFP will use $232,000 to improve access to water for livestock affected due to biomass shortage and provide food to people in the same region.

Over the last couple of years, Mali has experienced falling levels of agricultural production as a direct result of diminishing rainfall. Ironically, while the majority of the country has experienced heavy rainfall with some flashfloods, the region of Kidal saw very limited rainfall over the course of 2009. As a result, plummeting water tables are causing a serious risk of drinking water shortages.  The current supply of drinking water in the Kidal Region is of high concern to the Government of Mali.  

[Last Update: 29 June 2010]

CERF in Mali 2008
CERF in Mali 2007
CERF in Mali 2006