Severe flooding struck Mali in July and August 2024, causing widespread damage to health centers, schools, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and culverts. The disaster exacerbated existing challenges for flood-affected households dealing with food shortages and poor sanitation.
Mali's Minister of Health and Social Development, Colonel Assa Badiallo Touré, highlighted the extent of the damage: "During the punishing rains of 2024, there were 729 cases of flooding, 47,306 houses collapsed, 2,915 granaries and warehouses were destroyed, cattle numbering in the several thousands were swept away, and hundreds of thousands of agricultural land were lost, affecting 88,083 households."
The Malian government declared a national state of disaster in August 2024. In response, a $73 million action plan was initiated to restore urban infrastructure and services across sectors like sanitation, health, transport, education, and agriculture. This plan includes emergency response capacity building for relevant sectors.
The Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC), part of the Bamako Urban Resilience Project (PRUBA), was activated to aid in this effort. CERC focuses on rehabilitating roads to improve connectivity and mobility. It also aims to restore health centers and schools while ensuring access to essential services. Equipment provision for disaster response entities is included as well.
Diarra Maimouna Famanta from the Regional Director of Social Development explained that an inclusive census was conducted to identify beneficiaries effectively. "This approach helped us obtain accurate data and ensure that aid was more equitably distributed by using the actual number of persons in each household," said Ms. Famanta.
The Emergency Response component's official launch ceremony gathered ministers, development partners, community leaders, and flood victims. Beneficiaries shared their experiences during the event. Djeneba Sissoko expressed gratitude for the assistance received after losing her home: “I’m extremely grateful today for the assistance I’ve received.”
Aminata Diarra faced difficulties enrolling her children in school due to crop loss but appreciated the support: “The support I’ve received has been very helpful." Ibrahim Bah emphasized long-term solutions for neighborhood sanitation to prevent future disasters: “We all need to take steps to avoid reliving this tragedy during the next rainy season.”
Nearly 350,000 beneficiaries will receive food and basic necessities as part of this recovery effort.