Why Ouelessebougou?

A drought in northern Africa during the mid-1980s caught the attention of several community leaders in Utah and they decided to take action by forming the Ouelessebougou Alliance. They entered Ouelessebougou, in the south western region of the sub-Saharan country of Mali. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, and at that time, the Malian people were recieving very little international aid. The Ouelessebougou Alliance currently operates in more than 70 villages surrounding Ouelessebougou, partnering with village citizens to develop sustainable health, education and economic development programs to help the villagers meet their basic needs.

Ouelessebougou Alliance

Visit www.lifteachother.org to donate to the Ouelessebougou Alliance Help us lift each other

OUELESSEBOUGOU

Together, we lift each other

5378 S. Pinemont Drive, Suite A-130, Murray, Utah 84123 TEL: 801.983.MALI (6254) FAX: 801.983.6256 www.lifteachother.org

www.lifteachother.org

The Ouelessebougou Alliance implements health projects to train villagers about healthy living habits. Building drinking water and garden wells Distributing mosquito nets and vaccinations to eradicate polio, yellow fever, measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, hepatitis A, vitamin A deficiency, the flu and tetanus Facilitating OB/GYN, ophthalmology and dentistry medical expeditions several times annually to provide training and medical procedures

Programs

Mali has the second lowest literacy rate in the world, so one of the Ouelessebougou Alliances major focuses is providing education for children and adults.

Schools
Since 1992, the Alliance has built 11 elementary schools and three more classrooms are currently under construction. Each classroom is supplied with bench desks, pencils, paper, chalk boards, chalk and erasers, maps and textbooks in French and the local dialect of Bamanankan.

In 1995 the Ouelessebougou Alliance began developing affordable micro-credit for villagers in Ouelessebougou and the surrounding rural area to help create sustainable employment and support local village life.

Village Loans
The Ouelessebougou Alliance introduced its micro-loan program in 1995 to help villagers become entrepreneuers and start their own businesses. With Alliance funds, the local credit union facilitates low-interest loans for business owners in 15 different villages. 91 percent of those loans have been repaid or are current.

Teacher Training Village Health Councils

The Alliance facilitates annual Healthy Village Workshops in 15 villages in the region. Village Health Councils (made up of Health Agents, Matrons and others invited by the Chief) develop village health plans and set goals for their community. Experts train villagers about sanitation, disease prevention, nutrition, neonatal resuscitation and water purification. Since the beginning of the workshops in 2005, many villages have seen as much as an 80 percent decrease in malaria incidents. Village teachers are trained in subject matter and teaching techniques. They are also instructed in the transition of their students from learning in the local Bamanankan dialect, to learning completely in the national language of French as fourth year students.

Business Training
The Ouelessebougou Alliance provides practical business training for each of the economic development committees as well as the individual loan recipients. The entrepreneuers are taught technical business skills and are guided through the process of writing a business plan and managing their own loans before their loan is approved.