By Mitch Lewis | Executive Director
In Bamako, Mali the Falhadie IDP Camp is home to over 1,000 IDPs who fled the violence in Central Mali. Over half of them are children. They are living under the most deplorable conditions. Their community is on an active garbage dump, adjacent to the livestock market. The smell from the market is horrible and the animal waste creates a breeding ground for disease. They are suffering from food insecurity, but growing food on this site would pose a great health hazard. The garbage at the dump is always being burned in an attempt to create more space. The fumes from the burning garbage are toxic, causing many in the community to suffer from upper respiratory illness. Although the government wants them relocated, their attempts have been unsuccessful. This is primarily due to the lack of advance planning of a comprehensive resettlement program.
Falhadie community leaders have asked ATEG to intervene on behalf of these IDPs. We initiated our intervention by running a series of Focus Groups to ensure we had community buy-in. It was essential for us to learn why previous attempts at relocation had failed. These sessions revealed that they were anxious to move, but their new home had to be close enough to the livestock market so that the animal traders could continue their trade. They were also interested in relocating to arable land and having us develop an agriculture plan so they could gain food security and sell surplus crops as a source of income. ATEG has formed a team of agricultural and livestock experts, including some of the world’s greatest authorities on the subject of food insecurity.
ATEG has been in conversation with the Mayors and Prefects of a number of cities, all a very short distance from Bamako, about leasing a parcel of arable land for development. It appears that we have a tentative agreement from Mountougoula Commune, a city about 12 km from Bamako. Because of the enormity of the entire project, we will begin with a pilot project that will include relocating a limited number of families. We will dig wells, install latrines, build mud huts and cultivate the land. Before we begin any of the physical work, we intend to run a public relations campaign in the host community so that they understand how they will all benefit by welcoming the Falhadie IDPs. We expect that our pilot project will establish proof of concept. At that point we will proceed to Phase 2, which is the relocation of the entire IDP camp.
By Mitch Lewis | Project Leader
By Mitch Lewis | Executive Director
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