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Centre of Hope project

Project Overview
Located in the capital, Bamako, the Centre of Hope is a healthcare centre for orphans and their families. Staff at the centre carry out supplementary feeding, hearing tests, dental check-ups, psychological support and advice on health-related issues. There are also forums for children to talk about their needs and work together to fight discrimination.

Islamic Relief is working in partnership with a local organisation on the Centre of Hope project. The project is an extension of the Orphans Sponsorship programme, which has been running in Mali since 1997.

Project Background
Mali is one of Africa’s poorest countries, with over two thirds of the population living on less than $1 a day. The healthcare system is basic and has been unable to address ongoing health problems, such as cholera and yellow fever.

HIV/AIDS is also rapidly spreading throughout the country. An estimated 130,000 people have been diagnosed HIV positive and around 94,000 children have been orphaned due to the disease.

Women are amongst the poorest members of Malian society, particularly widows. Many widows struggle to support their children, as the loss of a husband often means the loss of a sustainable income.

In the capital, Bamako, around 45% of the population are under twenty. Many children have been orphaned or abandoned and so there are large numbers of children living on the streets.

Project Objectives

  • To improve the health and nutritional status of orphans, destitute children and their families;
  • To ensure that children’s social and psychological needs are met;
  • To promote and maintain children’s rights ;

Project Activities

  • Screening mothers for HIV;
  • Organising sessions on personal, environmental and food hygiene;
  • Organising sessions on basic sanitation and transmissible waterborne diseases;
  • Carrying out cooking demonstrations;
  • Holding information sessions on breastfeeding;

Beneficiaries
Since January 2003 the Centre of Hope has benefited more than 14,900 people, including 1,361 orphans under the age of seventeen.