Burlington, Ontario -- Amid the stories of armed conflict and civilian casualties that are coming out of Mali, several communities close to the fighting are telling a different story, one of resilience and solidarity. When an escalation of the armed conflict in central Mali forced thousands of people to flee from their homes, their own countrymen and women in some of the neighboring villages came to their aid – providing emergency food and shelter to more than 2,200 people – thanks to training from an international organization known as World Renew.
On January 7 the jihadist groups who had taken control of northern Mali began a push southwards towards the capital, hoping to gain more territory. They began fighting with the Malian army and foreign troops in several towns near where World Renew has worked.
Many people who had been living in the area occupied by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) feared being used as human shields and ran for their lives during a brief break in the fighting. They arrived in neighboring villages in mass numbers with only the clothes on their backs.
World Renew, with home offices in both Burlington, Ontario and Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been working with local communities in Mali on a wide variety of programs for 28 years. During this time, World Renew has trained community leaders in literacy, improved agriculture, child health, improved nutrition, and civic education. World Renew has also helped farmers work together to form farmer co-op groups and build warehouses to store their joint harvests for future needs. When these communities saw the mass influx of displaced people arriving in their towns, they recognized their neighbors’ needs and also saw their own capacity to help.
Five of World Renew’s target communities decided to launch a feeding program for over 2,200 displaced people. The farmer co-op groups organized themselves, registered people, and set up feeding programs using their stored grain. They asked World Renew to support this urgent intervention by paying for the food that was used from the co-op warehouses and World Renew readily agreed.
At the time, there were no other organizations working in this area.
“Overall insecurity prevented aid organizations from reaching displaced people and providing emergency assistance,” said World Renew Director, Ida Kaastra Mutoigo. “Instead, it was Malians with their World Renew training and available resources who stepped up and provided aid to those most in need. This is a great example of World Renew’s philosophy in action. When we respond to disasters or poverty, we try to do so in a way that emphasizes building up local leadership and equipping people to help themselves and their neighbors for the long term with minimal involvement from us. That’s exactly what happened in Mali.”
As foreign-backed Malian troops re-secure land that had been AQIM-controlled, many of the displaced families being helped through the feeding program have been enabled to return to their homes. However the conflict is not yet over. Thousands are still displaced from their homes within Mali, and many more have fled to neighboring countries. World Renew is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to respond where appropriate in cooperation with its long-time community partners.
For more information or to make a donation, visit worldrenew.net or call 1-800-730-3490 (Canada) or 1-800-552-7972 (US).
