Use Soap to Empower 60 Rape Survivors in Mali

We open this report with the photo of one of 645 survivors of sexual violence in Mali who have benefited from your donations to this appeal. She is seen holding two bags of shea butter soap before they were taken off to be sold a local market. Impressed by her serenity, and confidence that she had produced a professional product, we used the image to launch our appeal at the start of 2016.

Two and a half years later, we want to share some thoughts on how your donation has been used and reflect on where the program is heading. You can see some recent photos from the program below.

The challenge: The program was launched in 2013 following a brutal rebellion by Tuareg fighters and jihadists in northern Mali. The rebels imposed a reign of terror against women which included the widespread use of sexual violence and left deep psychological scars that remain to this day. Some survivors who have met with The Advocacy Project were so traumatized that they waited for three years before plucking up the courage to seek help.

The response: Our partner in Mali Sini Sanuman (“Healthy Tomorrow”) responded to the crisis by opening four centers where survivors of SGBV receive emergency support and are trained to make soap, clothes and embroidery. The photo above was taken at one of two centers in the capital Bamako. Funding has come from the foreign ministries of Germany and Liechtenstein and from you - our friends - through GlobalGiving. 645 survivors passed through the centers between 2014 and 2017.

The gamble: The training has been built around soap from the very start. This was because soap is easy to make and always in demand. (You can see the soap being produced at a Bamako center in this video.) But it was still a gamble in 2014. Sini Sanuman had no way of knowing whether traumatized women could make high-quality soap and the first few months were full of trial and error. In 2014, trainees only produced 780 bars, most of which went home with them. The idea that this would develop into a business seemed far-fetched.

GlobalGiving: The training picked up steam in 2015, when the centers produced 4,253 bars. Our friends in the US took notice and Luigi Laraia from the World Bank launched this appeal on our behalf  in early 2016. We picked it up from Luigi. Up to this point friends like you have donated $10,091. The actual amount raised has been higher because we have taken advantage of matching grants from GlobalGiving, most recently in mid-April. Our thanks to you all!

Impact: Your donations have made a huge difference.

• Flexibility: Your donations have allowed Sini Sanuman to make quick investments without seeking permission to change the main budget. This allowed us to buy new soap molds; to build a storage shed where soap could be kept dry and clean; to introduce a system of accounting which allowed Sini Sanuman to track sales; and to brand and market the soap as Sini Savon to give it more consumer appeal.
• Improved production: The figures speak for themselves! The centers produced 780 bars of soap in 2014; 4,253 bars in 2015; 27,528 bars in 2016; and 34,576 bars in 2017.
• Earnings: As the quality of soap has improved, so have earnings. Trainees keep 60% of what they sell, and in 2017 they shared $5,835 (among 210 women). One of our star trainees, Maimouna, routinely made over $10 a week, which paid for half of her rent.
• Confidence: The psychological benefits are almost as rewarding as the income because the soap is made in a group under the watchful eye of a trainer. This brings the women out of their isolation and creates deep friendships. It also throws up natural leaders who form teams and head off to a local market to sell their soap. AP has accompanied several teams and seen how they delight in selling their own product. Soap helps survivors to regain their confidence, which is what this program is all about.
• Other beneficiaries: It is not just survivors who benefit. A group of 40 village women has made a living from producing shea butter oil (beurre de kerite) for the Bamako centers. 2,000 students have received uniforms made by the trainees. If we include family members and women who have attended educational outreach sessions, this program has touched the lives of over 55,000 vulnerable Malians.

Economic reintegration: The soap project has exceeded expectations but we are still left with one key question – how can trainees continue to make soap once training ends? Your donations have helped us to come up with an answer. In 2017 Sini Sanuman invested $600 in a women’s cooperative (Moussou Kalanso) that makes soap. In return, the cooperative members promised to employ former trainees from the program. This produced a win-win. The cooperative (which has over 30 members) sold 35% more soap in 2017 than the previous year, and four former Sini Sanuman trainees shared 768,000 CFA ($1,536) – far more than they had earned during training.

Looking ahead: What can we learn from the last four years and how can we move forward? It seems clear that soap can help traumatized women to re-enter society and that small investments can produce a big impact. But much still remains to be done. The conflict in northern Mali is spreading and that will probably mean more violence against women. In spite of Sini Sanuman's success, funding is difficult. Our German grant came to an end in 2017 and the two Bamako centers still need funds.

In other words, this is the time to redouble our efforts on behalf of this innovative and important program. That will include maintaining this appeal on GlobalGiving. We hope you will remain involved.

One thing is certain. Every new dollar with help to change a life. We think, for example, of Mariama K, who lost her family in the north and was so distraught when she arrived at Sini Sanuman that she could not bear to be alone. After six months of leading a soap team (l’equipe Mariama) and out-performing other team leaders, Mariama surprised her friends by marrying and returning home. Multiply Mariama’s story by 645 and we all have much to be proud of.

Once again, thank you from AP, Sini Sanuman, and the women of Mali!

The AP team