The Challenge:
Access to health care is a fundamental human right. But it is not easy for the women we work with in Mali to protect the health of their families. Information about health issues is helpful, but certainly not enough, particularly in the context of extreme poverty. A mother may learn nutrition skills that could save her childrens' lives, but she cannot use many of them if she must feed her extended family of 10 on a budget of $3/day.  A mother may learn to recognize crucial danger signs that her child has severe malaria and needs to get to a hospital immediately, but she cannot act on this knowledge if she cannot afford to pay the fees for essential medicines and hospital care.

Driven by the hope of improving the health and quality of life of their families, many of these mothers strive to earn an income. But poor health in their families can cripple their chances of success in the marketplace. A mother may be forced to empty her savings or take out loans to pay for urgent medical care for her child; she may herself become sick and unable to work. So she finds herself trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and disease.

Project Muso's Approach:
Project Muso partners with mothers in Mali to enable them to free themselves of this poverty-disease trap. Through our Women's Education Program, Springboard Microfinance Program, and Community-Based Malaria Program, Malian women are afforded an opportunity to turn their hopes into real possibilities. Collaborating closely with Yirimadjo's Community Action Committee, Project Muso also supports community activists and  leaders to prioritize and develop their own solutions to crises of poverty and health they face. These programs complement and reinforce each other, creating a new virtuous cycle of community mobilization, education, enterprise, and access to health resources. Through the concerted efforts and investments of many individuals and organizations, Project Muso is nurturing the seeds of grassroots health.