On Thursday, May 2, 2019, the Jigisemejiri social safety nets program organized a press field visit to the Kita circle in collaboration with the local coordination committee. In total, 4 Villages from 2 communes were visited, with in each locality, gratifying testimonies of the beneficiaries on the contributions of the program in their lives.

The program “Jigisemejiri” intervenes in 12 communes out of the 33 which counts the circle of Kita. These are Benkadi-Founia, Kita-West, Bendougouba, Kokofata, Boudofo, Tambaga, Makono, Gadougoul, Koulou, Koutouba, Kita Urbain and Kita-Nord.

But for this visit, only the first two communes were concerned, namely those of Benkadi-Founia and Kita-West which contain respectively the villages of Founia-moribougou and Doumba as well as Kofeba and Madila.

Regarding the major achievements of the “Jigisemejiri” program in the Kita circle, important work needs to be highlighted.

For the cash transfer component, 2709 people benefited in 11 communes for a total amount of 975,240,000 FCFA, after three years of implementation.

As for support measures, several sensitization campaigns on themes such as the judicious use of cash transfers, exclusive breastfeeding, hygiene and sanitation were carried out for the beneficiary populations.

The PNP component (Preventive Nutrition Package) whose main objective is to contribute to the prevention of malnutrition has targeted children aged 6 to 59 months, pregnant women and breastfeeding women. In this context, four distributions were made in 50% of the communes of Gadougoul and Kita West.

334 beneficiaries of cash transfers in the communes of Benkadi-Founia and Kokofata also benefited from IGAs (Income Generating Activities) of the market gardening, livestock, poultry and trade type, for a total amount of 40,080,000 FCFA.

Finally, for the HIMO component (Work of High Intensity of Workforce), 40 micro-projects involving 2000 beneficiaries were selected in the communes of Kita-Ouest, Tambanga, Benkadi-Founia and Kita North.

“The intervention of the program” jigisemejiri “in the circle of Kita is to be welcomed. Since its arrival now, it has significantly reduced the level of poverty of certain populations in the circle, “said Boubacar Diarra, chairman of the local coordination committee of the program” Jigisemejiri “in the circle of Kita.

Beneficiary’s assessment

The beneficiary populations of the localities visited all testified to the contributions of the “jigisemejiri” program and its impact on their well-being.

“I can not thank Jigisemejiri enough. It is thanks to this program that I was able to start my garden with the 120.000 receipts. The benefits that I make allow me to keep my dignity as head of the family and it prevents my children from throwing themselves into adventures while crossing the sea, “says Makadian Keita, market gardener in the village of Doumba.

“I started breeding with the support of” Jigisemejiri “. It works very well for me. I manage to pay for my children’s schooling, I take care of my daily food and I manage to take care of my family, “testifies Fatoumata Souko. For her, “Jigisemejiri” has given her a major help and she asks that the whole village can benefit from it.

The “Jigisemejiri” program is also accompaniment measures aimed at changing the behavior of the population.

“Jigisemejiri” taught us how to properly care for our families, to be clean, to educate our children and to establish a birth certificate, “says Mamadou Keita.

“We ask Jiisemejiri to continue to help us breastfeeding women. We thank them for their generosity. The powder we are given for the porridge helps us a lot. Even when the child cries and we give it to him, he immediately calms down, “says Matou Souko, a breastfeeding woman from the village of Madila.

The “Jigisemejiri” or “Tree of Hope” program is a response from the World Bank to the Malian government in 2013 to fight extreme poverty across Mali. It is financed by the World Bank to the tune of CFAF 35 billion and has the major objective of meeting the immediate and permanent needs of households in chronic poverty and vulnerability.

By Germain Kenouvi

Source: Journal of Mali