A long road with the women : Experiences of a project with women's groups in the Kayes-Nord region (Mali)

This publication traces the evoloution of the Project of assistance to women's groups in the Kayes-Nord region of Mali from 1986 to 1998. This assistance to rural women in three villages spanned 12 years thanks to the tenacity of one woman, Ms. Diarra, and to the support of the Belgian government and FAO. During these 12 years, this project (GCP/MLI/017/BEL) expanded to cover 66 villages of the 300 in the region.

In these villages and in the entire region, the project helped to diminish the women's isolation and marginalisation. Socioeconomic activities were initiated with a new understanding of women's vital roles in the villages and in society. The results of this project are evident in the numerous discussions with the region's women who compare their present lives with how things were in the past, including discussions about the quality of life and the perception of their social and economic roles.

(Only available in French)

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