THE MALI ASSISTANCE PROJECT

Witness: The Human Rights Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit

TheMali Assistance Projectwas established to raise funds to assist the village called Foutaka Zambougou in Mali, West Africa. This is the home village of renowned Master Drummer Abdoul Doumbia, who currently resides in Boulder, Colorado. Abdoul returned to Mali in the summer of 1999 with a group that included interior designer, Karen Marx. Upon examining the supply of food, it became apparent that the villagers would soon to be facing desperate starvation due to drought.

Through the efforts of Karen, Abdoul, and Witness, The Mali Assistance Project was formed. Phase One was successfully completed in October, 1999, with Karen and Abdoul returning to deliver 33 tons of food to Foutaka Zambougou, just two days after their entire food supply was exhausted, saving them from starvation. There are 81 families in the village, with some families having as many as 35 members. The population is estimated between 1500 and 2000 people.  With $10,000 of the money contributed, the amount of food purchased provided 6.88 oz. of food per person per day for three months. This amount of food was not much but just enough to survive. The subsequent crops have been healthy, with each harvest providing food for one year.

Through our fund raising efforts, we have more than $17,000 toward Phase Two, which is being held in our non-profit 501(c)(3) savings account. Through the kind support of Witness: The Human Rights Project, we are able to operate under its 501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella. This ensures that all funds will be strictly accounted for, with no monies going to salaries and less than 20% going to overhead. All of the profits are tax deductible.

PHASE TWO:

·One task in Phase Two is to help the village with digging and constructing additional wells to increase the availability and quality of water. Existing wells are often contaminated, and are insufficient to supply the water needed for the village population.   The Mali Assistance Project was recently awarded a grant through the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) Department at CU Boulder Department of Engineering, in the amount of $8,000.  Engineering students at the University intend to create a solar powered filtration system for the drinking water from one well in the village.  The Engineering professor involved, along with two students and Abdoul Doumbia, will travel to Zambougou in January 2002, to implement this pilot program and to film the endeavor.

·Most importantly, we have been researching the most effective method of creating an irrigation system for the farms in the village.   We plan to dig 40 tube wells for the 81 farms and to provide pumps, holding tanks, and drip irrigation systems.  Our goal is to install the system in the winter of 2002.    This will enable the villagers to farm year-round, instead of only during the four-month rainy season, staving off futurethreats of drought and starvation.

PHASE THREE:

·We will build a small medical clinic, which will serve the 1500 to 2000 villagers in Foutaka Zambougou, as well as the people in the surrounding twenty villages.  The total number of people in this area is unknown, but the number is estimated at more than 20,000 people.   Currently, there are no medical facilities and no medical assistance of any kind and villagers must walk ten hours to Segou to receive medical attention.

·The villagers themselves will provide the labor and we will provide the materials and equipment required for the construction.  Our organization will also provide used medical equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals needed for the clinic. The Malian doctors would live in the village and work for approximately $800 each per year.  

PHASE FOUR:

·The final phase of our project will be to build a small school, which will allow each child the opportunity to attend school, as currently no one in the village reads or writes. 

Our parent organization,Witness, a Human Rights Projecthas for five years been involved with educational projects about democracy and culture; field research in Bosnia, Cambodia, Tibet, Nepal, Mali, and El Salvador; major cultural presentations about Tibet at the Denver Art Museum; major exhibits about the first elections in Bosnia at the Boulder Public Library, the Cheyenne Public Library, and the Wyoming state capitol; collection and archiving of war, religious and elections artifacts; presentations of photographers, films, filmmakers, and live performances by endangered cultures. Besides working with the University of Colorado/Human Rights Archives, Witness, along with The Mali Assistance Project has worked with Amnesty International, the American Alpine Club, US West, Camera Obscura, the Boulder City Office of Human Rights Department, Boulder County AIDS Project, Voices for Children, Attention Homes, Helander Dance Theater, and Community Food Share. And"The World Sits Down to Dinner"program at the Boulder Public Library; 

Information about the background of ABDOUL DOUMBIA:    Abdoul Doumbia is an extraordinary Master Drummer from Mali, who was brought to the U.S. by Brown University in 1991, to participate in their West African Dance Program. He has worked as a guest consultant and performer at Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, and many other universities.. In Mali, Abdoul was the lead drummer for eight years with the 47-member national drum and dance troupe, called Babemba.  He has studied with more than 30 master drummers throughout his lifetime, and has traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe teaching workshops, leading drumming camps, and performing.  

To make a contribution, please make checks out to The Mali Assistance Project and mail to:

The Mali Assistance Project,
c/o Karen Marx,
P.O. Box 20902
Boulder, CO 80308-3903

www.maliassist.org

You may contact Karen Marx or Abdoul Doumbia at 303-415-0106
e-mail:  maliassistance@comcast.net

Important Note:
This page is provided as a service to The Mali Assistance Project by Motherland Music Motherland Music does not take responsibility for any aspect of the program.