News

Mali (Cercle de Kati) December 2019 – has passed exactly one year since the start of the AwArtMali project, 365 days full of meetings, community listening, relationships and communication activities. A development cooperation project, different from the others, but with a strong purpose: to raise awareness among young Malians about the risks of irregular migration and the socioeconomic development opportunities already existing in Mali or that can be built by bringing together the best and most active forces.
The multichannel communication campaign that uses different media for different purposes is a necessary tool to achieve the goal: a radio spot and billboards to raise awareness about the risks; a blog to collect stories, share testimonials, but above all to find information, a mobile application to inform the widest audience, but above all the youngsters, on the opportunities they can access today being in Mali. At this moment, the project is at the transition point from the phase dedicated to raising awareness about the risks to the one focused on opportunities.

In this respect, an Italian delegation composed by Simone Foresi, project manager and coordinator (Tamat NGO); Paolo Saglia, photographer of the communication agency and project partner Giusti Eventi and Andrea De Georgio, freelance journalist and documentary-maker expert in West Africa (external project evaluator), is in Mali both to monitor and evaluate the results of the first phase of the communication campaign TAMA365, both to prepare the ground to start the second phase.

Then the delegation visited the places where the awareness-raising campaign was launched, participated together with the animation team of the local support NGO Le Tonus (which takes care of the diffusion of the campaign) in very important moments of awareness, like the one with the Mamby High School in Kati where more than 300 children were met and made aware. An experience characterized by strong emotions and direct testimonies of the everyday life of the migratory experience. A life lesson, a moment of reflection on what is irregular migration with all the related problems. From this action was born a debate and at the same time a moment of sharing between students, teachers and principal who told their personal experience on the theme. In addition, a schoolgirl read a letter directly addressed to the Malian Minister of Malians Abroad, so that he could take more into account the future of young Malian and ensure that they can have a dignified life in their country without having to leave: emigration often involves risks, even dying. A pain for those who leave and for those who stay.

Andrea de Georgio also participated as an expert guest in African societies and migration issues, with a special on migration, to a very popular radio transmission in the areas involved in the project. Furthermore, on November 20th, the third of the five project ateliers was held to discuss and lay the basis for the development of opportunities in Mali, by sharing real opportunities for young people. That’s because migration is a problem that affects young Malians every day.