Thursday afternoon Molly Melching, the Executive Director and founder of Project Muso’s partner Tostan, visited Yirimadjo to meet with Project Muso team members and to observe one of our newly-opened participatory education classes. Tostan is working in Mali for the first time, with classes launching in Koulikoro and Yirimadjo just two weeks ago. Ms. Melching, Tostan staff from Senegal and Mali, and Project Muso staff and volunteers all sat in on a class held in Bakorobabougou, on the edge of Yirimadjo. 

Last weekend water faucets around Yirimadjo sprung to life as the community was connected to Mali’s national water system for the first time. Project Muso’s Community Action Committee, founded in 2005, began petitioning the government for access to clean water in 2007 after a household needs survey revealed that hundreds of families perceived this as the most crucial step to local development. The committee organized meetings, a petition, and a march to the mayor’s office. In response, the government began to lay piping in 2008, and water arrived just a few days ago. As people all over Yirimadjo flocked to the faucets with buckets and water containers, even the children knew this was an important moment. “The well water we had before was dirty, but now we have clean water to drink,” said an 8-year old girl watching the excitement from nearby.

After months of preparation, Project Muso and Tostan launched their new participatory education program last week at 14 centers throughout Yirimadjo. Hundreds of community members attended the various openings, and a strong presence of community leaders showed widespread support and enthusiasm for the program. The new facilitators presented their first lesson, which included an activity involving Malian proverbs, an introduction to Tostan, and the establishment of rules and norms for the class. The atmosphere was one of excitement: there was no shortage of laughter, open conversation, and dancing. It is clear that these classes are poised to have a significant impact on the lives of many people in Yirimadjo.

In August, several members of Project Muso’s team sat down with the visiting Tony Blair Faith Acts Fellows to discuss the realities of malaria in Mali. They shared their thoughts on why their work is important to them, why Project Muso’s work is so effective, and how malaria can eventually be eradicated. Click "Read More" to view these videos.  

In January Project Muso and Tostan will together open 28 new participatory education classes for over 700 participants in Yirimadjo. In preparation for the launch, Project Muso recently sent 16 men and women to participate in a 23-day facilitator training hosted by Tostan in Koulikoro. Over the course of three weeks, the participants were introduced to Tostan’s human rights-based curriculum. They attended sessions on topics such as democracy, violence against women and children, the right to be protected against all forms of discrimination, and the right to an education

This week, Project Muso’s Community Based Malaria Program is being featured on the BBC World Service. Broadcasting in 32 languages around the world, the BBC World Service reached an average weekly listenership of 183 million people in 2007. Project Muso is featured as part of a story on the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a new foundation that is one of the supporters of Project Muso’s Community Based Malaria Program as a model effort.

Malaria kills one million people each year, most of them children. A child younger than 5 dies from malaria every 42 seconds. The Community Based Malaria Program aims to stop deaths from malaria and strengthen Mali’s primary health care system.

Group Pivot Santé Population recently selected Project Muso’s Community Based Malaria Program as a model program for its best practices exchange program. GPSP is a nationwide Malian coalition of civil society health organizations. It acts as a pivot-point for nationwide action to fight malaria. Conducting interviews in the field with residents of Yirimadjo, GPSP’s team learned about the impact that Project Muso’s malaria program has already made in its first seven months.

Project Muso’s Community Based Malaria Program is featured in a recent report, Malaria: Scoping New Partnerships published by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.