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Empowering women to empower the Sahel

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Mali

"To combat unemployment and the drop-out rate among young girls, give them a second chance. For me, it was in painting." - Mariam Koné is a house painter in Mali Find out more 

SWEDD en Action

POPULATION 16.9 million
AVERAGE AGE 16
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Overview

Overview

Located in the heart of West Africa, Mali occupies a pivotal position between Arab-Berber North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The security situation in the north of the country and the resulting multidimensional crisis have contributed significantly to the deterioration of social protection mechanisms. Health indicators are very poor in the regions and in rural areas. 47.6% of Malians are under the age of 15, the average annual growth rate is 3.6%, and the fertility rate is 6.3 children per woman, according to EDS VI. All these factors are putting considerable pressure on basic services, which are already under strain. The age at first marriage is 16.6 and the age at first childbirth 18.9, exposing young women to serious health risks, recurrent pregnancies and very high maternal, neonatal and infant mortality. Indeed, with 56 deaths per thousand children, Mali has one of the highest rates of the 9 countries in the project. In the Human Development Index, Mali ranks 179th out of 188 countries.

Facts & Figures

16.9 million
Population
16
Average Age
49.5%
Share of women
6.9
Fertility rate
47.6%
Population under 15 years of age (2014)
39%
Prevalence of malnutrition: delayed growth in children under 5 years of age
27.6%
Unmet need for family planning
7%
Use of modern birth control methods
Projets

Promoting a change in attitudes, making reproductive health products and services more accessible and raising awareness of demographic dividend issues among political decision-makers

Many factors affect the state of health of women and girls, including harmful socio-cultural practices, female genital mutilation, early marriage, levirate and clandestine abortions.