We spent a week in Djenne and got to meet many of the street children. They followed us around, a few asking for money but most just curious to know more about us. We discovered that many of the children in Mali are orphans, often given up by their parents who can not afford to care for them. Boys are sent out on the streets to sell sugar or to beg, while girls are kept in the house to perform manual labor, or even sold to other families to do chores.

In Djenne we met with Amadou, a local man who has taken action to solve the town’s orphan problem. Djenne does not have an orphanage, and children without parents to care for them roam the streets, searching for a way to survive. Amadou invited us to his family’s modest home so that we could meet some of the children and learn more about the specific problems relating to orphans in Djenne. Amadou’s English was limited, but he did know one word very well: “problem”. On the street, we passed a young pregnant woman that Amadou knew well. He placed his hand on her belly and said, “problem”. He explained to us (in French and broken English) that she was not married, and when her child was born, it would likely become an orphan. A child born to an unwed woman is not only a financial burden on an already struggling family, but also a social embarrassment in this mostly Muslim community. Furthermore, children that are not born to married couples usually can not get an official birth certificate. This important document is required to enroll in school in Mali, and without it a struggling child has an even harder challenge ahead.

After weaving our way through the narrow streets of Djenne, we reached Amadou’s house. Many children were waiting to meet us. They were happy, excited, curious, and rambunctious. Packed into the front room of Amadou’s house, they said hello to us in French which they have been learning in school. They curiously posed for photos, and the older children helped the younger ones maneuver to the front of the pack to greet us. Fortunately, most of these children now have a home. Amadou and other community members recently started an organization to help place the orphans with nearby families that can afford to take in an extra child. The organization also acquires birth certificates so that these children can attend school, and provides funds to provide for proper medical care. An orphanage is also being planned, so that even more children can receive care.

After the children left, we stayed in Amadou’s house while he served us tea and explained more about his future plans for the orphans. Amadou and the rest of the organization’s members are attempting to raise a significant amount of money to build an orphanage on an empty plot of land just outside of town. But Amadou does not like “projects” as he describes them. He is referring to “projects” and funding that come from NGOs or foreign governments. When the money comes, Amadou says that the money is illegally squandered. “New house, big car for fat man in Bamako,” he says in his broken English. During our time in Mali, we have heard many other stories about corruption, theft, and resources diverted from the local people intended to receive the benefits. Amadou does not trust anyone outside of his community to run the project, and he wants to raise money for the organization directly from donors.

As we sat in his house drinking tea, I had more time to look around. The room we sat in was actually open to the sky, and a few smaller rooms with a roof extended through a small doorway on one side. A narrow stairwell led to another room built on the roof. Amazingly, the entire structure is built of baked mud bricks and then coated with a smooth outer layer of mud. Every year the family must repair the damage to their home after the rainy season. The town does not have plumping, and all water is carried in from the nearby well. His family’s life is difficult and demanding, and yet Amadou served us tea and peanuts while he explained to us how and why he wanted to raise so much money to help others.

However, this type of achievement is nearly impossible without connections to the outside world. Like many people in Mali, Amadou suffers from an inability to explain his plight to the outside world. Internet access is expensive and scarce, and very few Malians have a strong understanding of technological resources. While the organization’s plans for the orphanage are very detailed, the plans to raise money are not progressing as well. The members are trying to raise money from nearby towns, and they occasionally and politely ask tourists for help, but neither strategy has achieved much success. Amadou hopes that word will spread and donors will send money via Western Union. While this is far from convenient for anyone wishing to make a donation, it is the only way Amadou knows how to collect funds. The mail is slow and unreliable, and he does not have enough knowledge of or access to the internet to create well connected fundraising campaign.

After our conversation at his house, Amadou took us to see the site for the future orphanage. We made our way to the edge of town and down the small slope to the river. At this time of the year the river is very low, so we waded across the ankle-deep water while children played and women washed clothes. About five minutes later we arrived at a marked-off area with a stack of mud bricks in each corner. Amadou pointed at different areas and described how some rooms would be for the children, some for the school, and some for the small tourist hotel. He was very proud of the idea to let tourists stay at the orphanage – it will provide the funds to sustain the organization indefinitely as well as give tourists a cheaper alternative to Djenne’s mostly higher-priced tourist campements. The first step is to build a well, he said. Without water, the orphanage would not be practical and the construction can not begin. Next comes the construction itself, and the budget and work is entirely planned.

Work is progressing slowly due to a lack of funding. Most money that the organization raises is allocated to the daily tasks of healthcare and education. In addition to “purchasing” the birth certificates for orphans, medical expenses are a large portion of the organization’s budget. Several times each year, doctors from Europe come to donate their time for free. However, the hospital costs, while very inexpensive by western standards, are still far out of reach to most people in Mali. One young girl, Coumba Bah, is awaiting the opportunity to have an operation on her leg in late April if the organization can raise several hundred dollars.

Amadou is making progress to improve the situation for Djenne’s orphans. His plans for the orphanage are moving forward and he is slowly reaching out to beyond his immediate community. But with little outside help he is finding that the goals of the organization are being delayed. The community would like to begin construction of the orphanage in October of 2009, but over 10 million CFA, or $20,000 (US) must first be raised. In Mali, this is a daunting task, but one which Amadou and his community have taken on despite the challenge.

Anyone wishing to help can contact us at info [at] collectivelens.com