Every Last Child Country Spotlight: Mali

Long considered a reference on the continent, the Malian democracy realized important progress in terms of development these last decades. In a generation, infant mortality went from 254 out of 1,000 children in 1990, to 115 children out of 1,000 in 2015.

This progress is significant; however, this data masks important regional disparities. In particular, many in the regions of Mopti, Sikasso and Segou lack access to basic social services. Moreover, the political crisis in the North of Mali has jeopardized some of the development progress The occupation of certain territories by armed groups has deepened inequalities. Northern regions (Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu) are particularly affected: insecurity has weakened health coverage and increased food insecurity.

The achievement of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), to which the Government of Mali is committed, will only be possible if progress is shared among all in Mali. Save the Children has chosen to focus on groups who did not benefit from the most recent progress in health and nutrition.

This brief hopes to shed light on three different questions, in order to help the government of Mali to reduce inequality and sustainably advance towards the goals set by the SDGs. The questions answered in this brief are:

• Who are the most marginalized groups?
• What are the reasons behind their marginalization?
• How can these groups be integrated into the efforts undertaken by the government in Mali?
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Save the Children is campaigning at an international and national level to achieve the greatest impact for children with the Every Last Child Campaign.

Read the full Every Last Child campaign report here.