Mali Health Organizing Project

  Mali

Bamako (Bammaco)

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 7-12 months
Dates: Please contact us for the specific dates.

Description: Interns will:

- Live in Sikoroni, Mali, and be a part of the community he/she works with.
- Meet regularly with the committee in charge of his/her domain and with our Malian leaders.
- Help run evaluations of programs.
- Meet with local leadership in Sikoroni and civil leaders in Bamako to develop local/government partnerships.
- Be in contact with the American leaders of the project weekly and keep a blog.
- Organize refresher trainings for the committees as needed
- Raise project funds. Generally interns fundraising goals range from $3000 to $5000. (Do not be intimidated by this. It is easier than it seems, we will help you, give you ideas and resources, and this requirement is negotiable in certain circumstances. We do not wish to discourage anyone.)

Health Outreach Intern Responsibilities may include:

- Organizing and designing peer education materials and systems.
- Implementing the trash disposal system with the CHAG and facilitating the purchase of necessary materials.
- Organizing radio-based announcements about the project and citizenship.
- Establishing an electronic medical records system (CS skills recommended).

Clinic Management Interns Responsibilities may include:

- Working with the regional health center and Malian interns researching equipment for the clinic.
- Training of clinic personnel and hiring of new staff.
- Auditing Systems.
- Helping the community mobilize labor and finances for the new clinic.

Microfinanace Interns Responsibilities may include:

- Meeting regularly with the committee, and organizing trainings.
- Working on the microfinance center.
- Profiling loan recipients.
- Figuring out strategies for implicating marginalized populations.
- Preparing budgets, reports, and estimations for sustainability.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Qualifications: Requirements:

- 3-month minimum time commitment. Longer stays are preferred.
- French proficiency: the equivalent of sixth semester of college-level French is required before departure. For the safety and comfort of the intern, as well as the good of the project, this is a non-negotiable term.
- Experience with organizing, health, international work, or initiating projects.
- Capable Word and Excel skills.
- Responsibility, adaptability, a strong stomach, and self-directed.

Cost in US$: Please contact us for more information.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Mali Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Mali Health Organizing Project's Mission Statement: In Mali, slum residents have few rights. Most are squatters who receive little help from their governments. Communities refuse to pay taxes until the government provides services, and the government refuses to provide services until the communities pay taxes. This deadlock continues indefinitely, leading to terrible infrastructure, crippling poverty, and poor health. People die of preventable diseases because of crowding and a lack of sanitation and health care. Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP) acts as a catalyst to bring slum residents and their governments together. MHOP has a unique system of four tools to break down the slum deadlock; accountability, communication, seed funding, and health organizing. People care strongly about health, so we use health as a tool to organize communities. When community committees (CCs) learn to design, implement, and evaluate their own projects, they invest in health and ask their governments to do the same. Our aim is to allow slums to create their own health care solutions, and ultimately see both the government and the slum invest in health and development without outside assistance.