Annual Progress Report

Introducing this update

This report follows a visit to Sekou's family and uses a standard format to ensure that it provides an update on how Sekou and his family are and outlines the work that Plan is doing with them and their whole community.

Strengthening a bond

Sekou's mother Sadio told us that Sekou enjoys football and is now able to help his family to look after domestic animals. Perhaps you would like to know more about these activities? Or perhaps about his life in the community? Below are some key facts, but please also write and send greetings to Sekou and his family. Although Sekou is attending school, he is still not able to write his own letters yet, but we will work with him and his family so they can send you a message.

Sekou's health

Sekou has been healthy over the last year.

Sekou's education

Sekou has started going to the primary school now. His performance over the last year has been average.

His favourite lessons at school are mathematics and drawing. He travels by foot now and it takes him less than 30 minutes to get there.

Sekou's family situation

There have been no changes to who lives with Sekou.

The family's access to basic services

Sekou's family are still using a shared latrine with neighbours and relatives for their toilet facilities.

There is enough water during both rainy and dry seasons. It comes from an open community well. The water is not safe to drink, due to a lack of appropriate treatment.

The nearest health facility is the health post which is about 15 minutes away.

What has been happening in the area where Sekou lives

The projects undertaken to benefit Sekou's community include:

Radio campaigns and training sessions were organized to promote the right of the community.

Plan has also assisted the community in constructing a school administrative office, so as to create an appropriate working environment for the headmaster and to ensure that the school functions correctly and that the children receive a good education.

To address the high infant and mother mortality and morbidity rates Plan has financially and technically supported local health centres and NGOs for behaviour change campaigns in the Program Unit area. The community has thus got valuable knowledge on vaccination, nutrition, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, family planning and safe motherhood, the prevention and treatment of malaria, of acute respiratory infections and of diarrheic diseases.

To prevent the spread of diseases, a vaccination campaign was held in the village. All the children and young mothers received free immunization through Plan and the local Ministry of Health staff.

In Mali female genital mutilation is a countrywide practice with a lot of drawbacks. In the community Plan supports IEC campaigns for behaviour change, counselling and care for victims of FGM. Plan also supports advocacy and lobbying campaigns for the prevention of this harmful practice.

To improve school attendance rates, Plan has donated school supplies to all the students attending primary school in our program area. Your contribution has also helped to improve teaching quality through the training of teachers in large group teaching.

Your assistance helped to build and equip a block of 3 friendly classrooms. More and more kids from the community have access to school and classrooms are less overcrowded now. School access distance has also been reduced and students may use the time saved to concentrate on learning and to play.

Plan has consolidated the 4 credit/savings banks created in the Program Unit area. This enables women's associations to have access to financial services and to get management skills so as to increase their income.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this report. We will continue to work with the community to improve the life of Sekou and all the other children in the area, for them to be able to realize their potential.

Through your link with Sekou you share in the work of the whole community. Your contributions help to fund community projects that families are doing with Plan to benefit their children. We thank you for your continued commitment.