Population Council Research that makes a difference

Overview

The Population Council began working in Mali in 1981 through a technical assistance project to strengthen the population and development research capacity of the Sahel Institute. In 1990 the Council established an office in Bamako to support a large national family planning initiative funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This office was closed in 2009.

The primary focus of Council research and programs in Mali has been to expand and improve family planning services, especially through community-based distribution of contraception. More recently, the focus has included reducing or eliminating female genital mutilation/cutting and preventing transmission of HIV. In the coming years, the focus will include preventing sexually transmitted infections and HIV among youth, reducing maternal mortality, and increasing access to family planning information and services.

Highlights of past and present work

• Implemented the first community-based distribution program in francophone Africa that demonstrated a substantial increase in contraceptive use in rural areas by making contraceptives available through volunteers.
• Generated the evidence base for a national program funded by USAID/Mali to expand community-based distribution of contraceptives in five of the country’s six regions.
• Generated evidence used by USAID to design its ten-year country strategic plan 2003–2012.
• Assisted the government in developing a policy on female genital mutilation/cutting and forming a national strategy against the practice.

Banner photo: © Tugela Riddley/IRIN