West Africa
Despite being some of the warmest, most welcoming people, we focus on communities in Mali and Togo because they are among the most distressed, underserved places on earth.
French-speaking West Africa was left relatively much worse off from colonization than the former British colonies. For that reason and due to our core competency in French culture and language, our scaling strategy focuses next on Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and then all of French-speaking, West Africa.
Current Operations
Upcoming Operations
General: The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. The eighth-largest country in Africa, its population is 21.9 million, 67% of which is under the age of 25 in 2017. Mali's health and development indicators rank among the worst in the world.
In 2020, GDP per capita for Mali was 897 US dollars. Mali is among the ten poorest nations of the world and is one of the 37 heavily indebted poor countries.
Conflict has existed in Mali in recent years which have included a number of coup d'état (2020, 2021) and irregularities in elections.
Health Care (under 5 mortality): Sub-Saharan Africa ‘leads’ the entire world in the number of children dying before the age of 5. For every 1,000 live births, 69 children are lost (compared to 6 in the United States). Even more chillingly, in Mali, 108 children die before the age of 5. Put another way, 1 out of every 10 children die before they reach the age of 5. For context, this is more than 18x the mortality rate in the United States.
We subscribe to the Sustainable Development Goal targets which is 25.
Health Care (maternal care): Not surprisingly, sub-saharan Africa ‘leads’ the entire world in terms of number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, by 2x South Asia and 15x Europe and developed nations. In fact, Mali loses 300 moms per 100,000. To put this in context, this is 50x the number of moms lost in France (and other developing nations).
We subscribe to the Sustainable Development Goal targets which is 70.
Gender / Education: In 2016, Mali ranked 175th out of 188 countries in the gender inequality index as reported by the United Nations Development Programme. The Malian Constitution states that it protects women's rights, however many laws exist that discriminate against women.
Mali, West Africa
Togo, West Africa
General: The economy of Togo has struggled greatly. The International Monetary Fund ranks it as the tenth poorest country in the world. While industry and services play a role, the economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture. In 2020, GDP per capita for Togo was 644 US dollars
It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea. From the 16th century to the 18th century, the coastal region was a trading center for Europeans to purchase slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast."
Health Care (under 5 mortality): In Togo, 58 children per 1,000 die before the age of 5. Put another way, 1 out of every 20 children die before they reach the age of 5. For context, this is 10x the mortality rate in the United States.
We subscribe to the Sustainable Development Goal targets which is 25.
Health Care (maternal care): Togo loses 228 moms per 100,000. To put this in context, this is 38x the number of moms lost in France (and other developing nations).
We subscribe to the Sustainable Development Goal targets which is 70.
Gender / Education: Togo ranked 160th out of 180 countries in the gender inequality index as reported by the United Nations Development Programme. The adolescent birth rate is 79 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 as of 2016.