MALI Stories of survival

Struggling to Survive: Ibrahim's story (age 57)

I had to leave my village of Temara (Goundam area, Timbuktu region) eight months ago because of the crisis in the north of Mali. Since then, I have been living in Sevare (Mopti region) with my family and that of my brother -  about 20 people – in a house we have been renting in the commune of Walirde.

I don’t work and the other family members don’t either, so we don’t have any revenue. The children are not going to school either. God to be praised, we manage to eat once and often twice a day thanks to donations by NGOs such as CARE, or support from our parents.

We are facing enormous difficulties; the main issue is the lack of food as I can’t even ensure the three daily meals for my family. Also, my family and I have problems with the accommodation despite the two tents  and the one toilet that we were given by the Red Cross.

We need help from aid organisations, especially clean drinking water as at the moment we are using untreated water from the well.  I would like especially to receive the emergency supplies that CARE and the World Food Programme are currently distributing in Sévaré.

A mother raises her family alone in a conflict zone: Roika's story (age 40)

I am from Niafounke (Timbuktu region).

I have been living in Mopti for nine months; I came here after my husband was assaulted by armed groups and he had to flee towards Niono.  He left me with the four children and we are living now with the village chief of Massaya Daga in Mopti in a small house in the commune.

I am very worried about my husband as I don’t often have news form him. But I thank God that my children and I can eat three times a day thanks to food distributions by CARE and the World Food Programme.  As for water, we use water from the river, mixing it with bleach. Not having an activity to enable me to earn money means that I am faced with a lot of problems, trying to raise the children by myself.

About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. CARE has been working in Mali since 1975. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in 84 countries around the world to assist more than 122 million people improve basic health and education, fight hunger, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, confront climate change, and recover from disasters.