Helen Keller International Hosts
Launch of Girls’ Education
Campaign
En français
Bamako, Mali, September 16,
2005 – The Nièta
Kunafoni program of Helen Keller
International (HKI) hosted the
official launch of a national
campaign to promote girls’ education
in Mali. The launch took
place on September 6th in collaboration
with HKI’s partners UNESCO,
UNICEF, USAID, and the Union
of Free Radio and Television
Networks. Representatives
from UNESCO and UNICEF attended
the event, as did a representative
from the Ministry of Education
and the USAID Country Director.
An assessment of levels of schooling,
repeated grades, and drop-out and
success rates shows a widening
gap between Malian boys and girls,
a problem that this new campaign
for girls’ education seeks
to resolve. Campaign messages
reminding parents to enroll children
aged six and above in school will
air on 110 radio stations two to
three times a day for two months. The
messages state, “Girls and
boys are all our children. They
have the same rights. Let’s
give them the same opportunities
to succeed in life. Enroll
all of them in school from the
age of six on!”
The United Nations consistently
ranks Mali as one of the least
developed countries in the world,
with literacy rates of 24.9% for
ages 15 and above, and only 15.4%
for women ages 15 and above. According
to the 2001-2002 Demographic Health
Survey, nearly 62% of Malians listen
to the radio at least once every
week.
Nièta Kunafoni, the Bambara
translation of Communications for
Development, is HKI’s innovative
rural radio program, which has
operated in Mali since January
2004. Rural radio broadcasts
have proven to be a highly effective
method of communication, and HKI
has broadcast programs that deal
with strategies to improve eye
health and nutrition. Recognizing
the importance of radio to Malians’ access
to information, the government
has made efforts to open airwaves
to community stations in recent
years. Large segments of
the population listen to the community
stations, and information is broadcast
in local languages and tailored
for different audiences.
USAID’s Country Director
shared his enthusiasm for the launch
of a national campaign in Mali,
congratulating HKI and its partners
on their collaborative efforts. The
Director expressed his conviction
that that the number of girls enrolled
in school would increase this year
as a result of the campaign.
 
From left to right:
Malian children; Representatives
at the launch of the campaign
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