Laying the Groundwork for Rubia in Mali

Ana Dionne-Lanier, Jessica Peck, Olivia Schneider Produced for: Catherine Reilly, Executive Director, Rubia 9 December 2013

Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary 3 II. Mali Context Analysis.. 6 III. Bogolan Production and Implications.. 9 IV. Network of Contacts.. 13 V. Analysis and Recommendations . 17 VI. Next Steps.. 20 VII. Conclusion 22

I. Executive Summary
Rubias dedication to supporting women in Afghanistan and refugee communities in New Hampshire has proved to be valuable not only in generating income for the women, but also in strengthening their literacy and empowerment. Based on their success in implementing this model, Rubia has decided to investigate how it can be of most help to the reconstruction efforts in Mali after the recent violence. Rubia is looking to support a project for womens income generation through creation of artisan products, while also implementing a literacy program. This report lays the foundation for this proposed engagement. First, we will examine the current political, economic, and social context of Mali, assessing the challenges Rubia may face implementing a project in this country. We take a brief look into the recent conflict, which violently affected the Northern region. After a France-led intervention the country now looks forward to a sustainable recovery plan, outlined at the 2013 Donor Conference held in Brussels. While the country continues to face challenges, including more incidences of violence in the North, Rubia may find their place in the recovery plans, which focus on womens rights and support for craft projects. Second, we will investigate into bogolan, a traditional Malian textile that is of interest to Rubia. It is produced throughout all regions of Mali, including Dogon country and the southeastern region. We will look into bogolans cultural history and well as its current production trends, finding that although the traditional methods used a labor-intensive process passed through apprenticeship between women, the market is now dominated by tourist-oriented bogolan. There is a possibility for great benefit to local artisans if Rubia connects local artisans to markets in Western countries, where bogolan products can sell at much higher prices.

Third, we will review the list of contacts that we have made in Mali and assess both their contributions thus far and their potential contributions to Rubias mission in the future. These include: Victoria Rovine, an expert on bogolan production in Mali, Janet Goldner, an artist that works in Mali and is knowledgeable about the region, Jaimie Bleck, a political scientist that works in Mali, Chris Fumonyoh, senior associate for Africa at the National Institute for Democratic Affairs, Badi Hima, Country director for Mali at the National Institute for Democratic Affairs, Sophie Sarin, who works with a bogolan cooperative in Mali, and Lightyears IP, an NGO that is concerned with international property rights concerning bogolan. For each of these contacts, we will analyze their most relevant contributions for the project and the ways in which they could be of further help to Rubia going forward. We will then analyze our findings in light of Rubias mission. Due to the political context, we think it makes most sense for Rubia to focus its efforts on the Southeast Region of the country, which includes the Dogon region. Because of its cultural importance and the burgeoning market, we recommend that Rubia work with bogolan. Additionally, we believe that a project model in which Rubia works with another organization or an already existing cooperative would be the most efficient way to make an initial impact in Mali. Finally, we provide concrete steps for Rubia to take as it moves forward. Once Rubia has determined where it wants to work, it will need to determine the specific group with which it will be working. Rubia should make use of its connection to Janet Goldner and Sophie Sarin to determine possibilities in this area. Before making a definite decision, however, we recommend that Rubia send someone to Mali to assess the situation on that ground and meet with the women to determine how beneficial a partnership would really be. Also, this visit would inform the exact configuration that Rubias involvement would take. With this determined, a good next step

would be to apply for funding through grants that concern womens empowerment and cultural heritage, one possibility being the UNESCO World Heritage grant. Finally, throughout the process, Rubia should stay in contact with Badi Hima for up to date information on the political context in Mali, especially as it relates to women.

II. Mali Context Analysis

2012 was a tumultuous year for Mali. The northern regions were taken over by the Tuareg rebel group in April and for the next seven months, Northern Mali was wrecked with violence. The rebels advanced significantly throughout the country until January 2013 when French interventionists entered the country, reclaiming the main cities1. With the situation stabilizing, a conference was held in May, in Brussels to discuss a Sustainable Recovery Plan2for the country. In June a peace agreement and ceasefire were signed between the warring parties. August brought elections placing Ibrahim Boubacar Keta in the presidency. Recently, violence continued in the North as Tuareg separatist rebels declared an end to the ceasefire3. The UN and central government in Bamako have called them back to the negotiating table, but little has happened since the rebels new declaration. The most obvious challenge to working in this context is the continued violence in the North. While the situation has calmed down significantly, clearly the Northern rebels are unwilling to abandon their cause completely. Though this is cause for some concern, the violence seems to be further north around the city of Kidal. It does not prevent programs in the southern regions. Badi Hima, the country director for Mali with the National Democratic Institute confirms this, cautioning against going in the North until the situation looks more optimistic.

1 2

"Mali Profile." BBC News. BBC, 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13881978> Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of Mali 2013-2014. Together for a New Mali International Donors Conference. 15 May. 2013. <http://donor-conferencemali.eu/sites/default/files/generated/pdf/page/Conclusions_Mali_15_05_EN.pdf> 3 Diarra, Adama. "Malian Separatist Rebels End Ceasefire after Clashes." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/29/us-mali-rebelsidUSBRE9AS0R520131129>. 6

Nevertheless, this does not mean the southern populations are not in need. The 2012 conflict caused many to flee south. While the direct violence was concentrated in the north, the entire country suffered. In the southeast, Dogon country, located along the Bandiagara escarpment, where tourism was a large part of the economy, they are left with very little to survive. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dogon Country was a major tourist spot hoping to contribute to the local economic growth and development. This region is made up of traditional villages showcasing the unique Dogon culture and people. These communities can play an important role in the recovery plan of the country. They are also safe enough for Rubia to consider for a potential project in Mali. Another challenge for Rubia, involves situating itself within the sustainable recovery policies of Mali today. Its particular mission, supporting women in income generating activities and incorporating literacy and empowerment values, speaks to many of the policies discussed at the May 2013 Donor Conference held in Brussels. While this conference is mainly a declaration of donations from supporting countries, it did lay out the Malian government's Sustainable Recovery Program (PRED). Two key points to draw from include their focus to Support Cultural Tourism and Craft Projects as a key to peaceful coexistence and Promote the role of women in all sectors4. The cultural tourism and crafts sector have been the most affected by the armed conflict. A travel advisory given to Mali during the conflict seriously slowed down the tourism industry, especially in the previously mentioned Dogon region. Rubias goals can contribute to these policies regarding the preservation and restoration of craft sectors. The restoration of culture plays a great role in reasserting the Malian identity, especially as the country struggles with
4

Section IV: 10-11. Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of Mali 2013-2014. Together for a New Mali International Donors Conference. 15 May. 2013. 7

separatist rebels in the North. Opening up this market also allows the country to create more income generating activities, especially for the most vulnerable. Rubias potential projects can align with these goals while maintaining its personal mission to support women in craft markets. Additionally, Mali struggled in providing socioeconomic opportunities for women ever prior to the conflict. The promotion of women in new sectors is a wonderful step for Malis recovery plan and Rubias mission also will help the country promote womens inclusion. Their income generating model and gradual inclusion of literacy programs and empowerment of women all combine to create meaningful steps in the overall mission to include women in the development process. The creation of a fund to support these initiatives was suggested in the report, and with funding may help support women in the recovery process. Though there are clear challenges facing Rubia in the context of Mali, there are also clear alignments with the recovery plan Mali has set forward. Rubia can find the niche in this context, while maintaining a watch on the external effects that might be challenging for their programs.

III. Bogolan Production and Implications

The deterioration of Malis economic and social opportunities in the wake of the conflict demonstrates a need for new income-generating opportunities. The regression of womens rights and evaporation of the tourism industry also mean that both women and artisans are in particular need of assistance. Therefore, Rubias model of womens empowerment and income-generation through textile production would be very relevant to Malis current reconstruction needs. In particular, Rubia identified bogolan as a textile that they would be interested in working with, considering that it is a common Malian fabric that is also popular in the U.S. and other western countries. Our report investigates further into this cloths production in Mali by identifying its cultural history, the shift in production processes, and the demand for bogolan in western markets. Based on this investigation, we will draw out implications for Rubias goal to assist bogolan artisans. Bogolan has the most cultural significance to the Bamana people who originated its production, but it has long been produced by other ethnic groups, including the Dogon people. It is produced throughout most of Mali and the regional distinctions have become increasingly blurred, though there is some variation between each region. For example, yellow cloth painted over with black designs5 is usually associated with the Dogon region6. In discussing the different categories of bogolan, Rovine, a bogolan scholar, refers to a distinction between the more modern bogolan cloth that is being adapted to urban markets and bogolanfini which is used to describe the rural, classic versions of the textile7. Traditional bogolanfini production is labor5 6

See title page for an example of Dogon region bogolan. Rovine, Victoria. Bogolan: Shaping Culture through Cloth in Contemporary Mali. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2001.
7

Ibid.

intensive process which requires artisans to precisely paint the woven cloth with several layers of mud8. This traditional dyeing technique was always performed by women and passed down from older generations through long apprenticeships. However, in the last couple of decades there has been a shift from these traditional processes to more tourist-oriented bogolan production, which is often undertaken by entrepreneurial young men rather than women who have learnt through apprenticeship. Instead of the laborious traditional process, tourist-market bogolan producers often use stencils in order to greatly reduce production time9. Another challenging factor for traditional producers is that they may not have access to the most lucrative markets. As Sophie explained, Bogolan in Djenne costs about 20,000 FCFA for a small blanket, or what is called a 'paigne' That could be perhaps 5-10,000 in a village, where the quality may be higher. Sophie notes that even though the rural bogolan may be more traditional and higher quality, it still receives lower prices because it is sold in the village. In a similar vein, Lightyears IP explains that bogolan artisans who sell their work to a middleman are not earning the full value merited by their work. Their product brief on bogolan states: For their work painting a pagne (eight to ten strips of cotton sewn together) measuring approximately 45" x 70", artisans earn $1-2. The merchant/exporter may then sell the cloth for about $9. Wholesale prices range between $12-24 and at retail, a pagne can sell for $35-65 with prices reaching up to $125. Alternatively, independent artisans who fund themselves may sell their pieces for $12-48, depending upon negotiations with the buyer.10 Unfortunately, since we could not get in touch with Lightyears IP, we cannot be sure how they obtained these figures and whether this is representative of the bogolan market as a whole. We expect that these figures may be specifically referring to the bulk bogolan production
8

For a more detailed description of traditional bogolanfini production, see Bogolan: Shaping Culture Through Cloth in Contemporary Mali pages 20-21 9 Ibid 10 "Malian Mudcloth (Bogolan)." Light Years IP. <http://www.lightyearsip.net/scopingstudy/malian_mudcloth.aspx>. 10

concentrated in San, in which an entrepreneur buys hundreds of meters of cloth at a time and sends it out to villages for mass production11. Because these artisans do not fund themselves or control production, their work is exploited by middlemen. As the analysis notes, independent artisans who fund themselves can earn from $12-48 for their products because they do not have to deal with these middleman. This emphasizes the importance of letting artisans remain in control of their inputs and production, so they can earn the full profits that their work deserves. Despite the shift to faster, more tourist-oriented bogolan, some traditional producers still remain. This knowledge has been kept alive in rural settings, where training in bogolanfini production is incorporated into domestic life, as young women learn from old12. But while there are still women who retain this traditional knowledge and artistry, it is in danger of dying out. As Sophie Sarin, our contact from MaliMali advised us: the old women that work in the truly traditional way in the villages need supporting. We need to learn from them before it is too late. Without support for the traditional methods of bogolan production, this aspect of Malian cultural heritage may be lost. This research therefore points to a possible role for Rubia in the preservation of authentic, rural bogolan production. The shift to faster production methods makes it difficult for these labor-intensive traditional processes to compete, but they can be supported through the help of Rubia. One important thing that Rubia might do is to help provide them with inputs. As Lightyears IPs analysis noted, artisans who do not fund themselves may end up being exploited because they are forced to work through middlemen. Rubia can help by cutting out the middlemen and connecting artisans directly to a market for their products. In particular, they can

11

Rovine, Victoria. "Bogolanfini in Bamako: The Biography of a Malian Textile." African Arts 30.1 (1997): 40-51. 12 Rovine, Victoria. Bogolan: Shaping Culture through Cloth in Contemporary Mali. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2001. 11

connect them to Western markets, where bogolan products can fetch much higher prices. Based on MaliMalis website, bogolan clothing can sell for around 45-6513, which converts to about $60-90. Similarly, a single bogolan bedcover sells on Proud Mary Textiles website for $250, indicating that these products can be marketed at high prices as exotic, luxury goods 14. More commercial products, such as the bogolan handbag produced for Hallmarks (RED) campaign, sold for $19.99. In fact, Hallmarks bogolan bag was the first product that Mali had shipped under the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act under a provision for handmade textiles, which allows these products to be exported to the U.S. duty-free15. Rubia should also remain aware of this legislation in case it can positively affect their efforts to export Malian bogolan. By linking artisans to lucrative western markets, Rubia can help preserve bogolan production while simultaneously creating income-generating opportunities for women.

13 14 15

Clothing. MaliMali. <http://www.malimali.org/products-page/clothing/>. Bogolan Bedcover. Proud Mary Textiles. http://proudmary.bigcartel.com/product/bogolan-bedcover.

Success Story: Historic AGOA Export Reaches Retail Giant . USAID: West Africa. West Africa Trade Hub. http://www.watradehub.com/sites/default/files/resourcefiles/feb11/success-hallmark-07.pdf.

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IV. Network of Contacts

Victoria Rovine: About: Scholar on fashion in Africa and wrote Renewing tradition: The revitalization of Bogolan in Mali and abroad, currently teaches at the University of Florida Help Thus Far: Not up on the situation in Mali, but she recommended we contact Janet Goldner who frequently visits Mali Potential Future Help: May be able to answer questions regarding the history of Bogolan or to put us in contact with others that are knowledgeable about Bogolan and Mali E-mail: vrovine@ufl.edu

Janet Goldner: About: Artist that works in sculpture, photography, video, installation and writing. She spends several months every year in Mali and is very up to date on the current political situation there. She has received numerous awards including a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship and two Fulbright Senior Specialist grants. She has published several articles on fashion and textiles in Mali. Help Thus Far: Explained her interest in Mali and offered to help however she could. Potential Future Help: Could put us in contact with people to work with on the ground. She also has expertise in implementing projects in Mali, which could be of use during the designing of the project
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 E-mail: art@janetgoldner.com

Jaimie Bleck: About: Professor at Notre Dame who works and researches extensively in Mali Help Thus Far: Identifided the Dogon region as a region in Mali that is in desperate need of economic recovery and help. Potential Future Help: Has offered to connect us with people on the ground in Mali. Also experienced in implementing projects there, so she could also be of use in designing the project E-mail: Jaimie.Bleck.1@nd.edu

Chris Fomunyoh: About: Senior associate for Africa at the National Institute for Democratic Affairs. Help Thus Far: Put us in contact with, Badi Hima Potential Future Help: Could connect us with people working on the ground in Mali. Also, NDI is very much about engaging and organizing citizens. Experience in that area will be helpful in trying to Rubia as they either seek to organize women into a cooperative or to support women that have already done this. E-mail: Chrisf@ndi.org

Badi Hima: About: Country director for Mali at the National Institute for Democratic Affairs. He works on the ground in Mali for NDI, and specifically with programming for

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women. He thus has first hand experience in community organizing, especially women. Also, he is Malian. Help Thus Far: Badi gave us a brief overview of the social situation now in Mali. Since the Code des personnes et de la famille was passed two years ago, the situation for women has grown more precarious. Women have suffered especially in the North, and they are the ones that need the most help. However, the region is not stable, especially around rebel-controlled Kidal. Dogon country, on the other hand, is stable and development programs there are working fine. He suggests that we could start in Dogon country and wait for the violence in the North to subside before trying to help there. Potential Future Help: He signed his e-mail saying that he and the staff at NDI in Mali would be happy to give our team any information or contacts in that we needed. He also invited us to the office in Malian offer that should be considered by the representative from Rubia that does the on the ground assessment. E-mail: Bhima@ndi.org

Sophie Sarin About: Works with MaliMali, an NGO working in Mali. They have a cooperative where men and women work together to produce Bogolan that is then sold abroad. They also have health and education initiatives in Djenne, where they are located. Help Thus Far: Sophie explained how production of bogolan works in their cooperative. They produced bogolan using a modern method that is much less
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labor intensive and more efficient than the traditional method for an undiscerning tourist market. She explained that while this was profitable and important, we may want to focus our efforts on supporting older women in the bush that still produce traditional bogolan. She writes that before the violence erupted, MaliMali sold primarily to tourists visiting Djenne. Now that tourists have stopped coming, their primary market is Europe and Australia. She suggests one way that Rubia could be of help to MaliMali is by getting their goods to trade fairs in the US and Europe because they currently do not have the resources to do so. Finally, she cautioned us that the term womens cooperative sells, and that cooperatives run by men may bill themselves as womens cooperatives because of that. Potential Future Help: Sophie seems very enthusiastic about bogolan and Mali and Rubias potential contributions to these. She would be helpful in finding women with whom to work in Mali and in helping us navigate the bogolan industry, from its production to its sale. E-mail: sophiesarin@yahoo.co.uk

Lightyears IP: About: NGO concerned with intellectual property rights. They are interested in trademarking bogolan patterns and products to make sure that artisans working in Mali receive their full due for their work. Help Thus Far: They have been contacted, but have no responded. Potential Future Help: They could help Rubia to understand the appropriate pricing of Bogolan and to simply better understand the market in general. E-mail: info@lightyearsip.net (Meg Brindle)
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V. Analysis and Recommendations

Region: Dogon Country A major take-away from the contextual analysis includes the identification of a potential location for a project in Mali. The North continues to have spouts of violence, indicating that only the South would be safe. Dogon Country--located in the Southeast region bordering Burkina Faso--has suffered greatly during the conflict. Currently the Dogon struggle to survive without tourism, which once made up 80% of the regions income16. The villages are in crisis and until the country settles peacefully, they must search for alternative sources of income. They continue to hope for the return of tourists as the country steadily recovers from the conflict. Therefore, Dogon region would be both accessible to Rubia and in need of its help. It is stable enough for a viable project, and they are in great need as their main income generating industry, tourism, has been ruined. Tradeoff: Cultural Heritage and Profitability We identified that there may be difficulties in finding a process that preserves cultural heritage while at the same time remaining profitable. While the traditional bogolan production used by rural women is more authentic, it is also slower, labor-intensive, and takes a long time to learn. On the other hand, newer techniques may not retain all of the authentic processes of traditional bogolanfini, but they enable much faster production at higher volumes. In fact, according to one artist that produces both stenciled and hand-drawn bogolan, it is possible to produce six or seven stenciled pagnes in the time it takes to make one without stencils17. The

16

Isenson, Nancy. "Mali Conflict Threatens an Ancient Culture." Deutsche Welle. N.p., Jan. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. <http://www.dw.de/mali-conflict-threatens-an-ancient-culture/a-16636476>. 17 Rovine, Victoria. Bogolan: Shaping Culture through Cloth in Contemporary Mali. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2001. 17

fact that stenciled processes are so much faster means that artisans would be able to create more products, which would make the project more profitable for the women and ultimately more sustainable. Working with the rural, traditional producers would be the ideal way to preserve the most authentic form of Malian cultural heritage. However, if this ends up being too labor intensive, it seems that more modern process would still be able to preserve some aspects of authentic Malian culture. Rovine discusses this question of authenticity, stating: Despite their distance from bogolanfinis labor-intensive production and deeply symbolic motifs, both the reproductive bogolan with designs drawn directly onto the cloth and that with stenciled designs retain all of the basic elements by which bogolanfini is defined: The color, the locally produced dyes and cotton cloth, the geometric motifsand the contextual information supplied by merchants all preserve the cloths identity as bogolan and, by extension, as authentic (41)18 Therefore, even if Rubia does not end up using the most traditional bogolanfini processes, it is still possible to create products that are authentically Malian. Rubia will have to carefully consider whether they want to work with very labor-intensive processes to preserve this dying art form or if theyre more concerned with facilitating an enterprise that is profitable for the women and can be taught more easily. Ultimately, Rubia will likely have to find a balance between a process that preserves cultural heritage and a process that is profitable and sustainable. Whether Rubia ends up using traditional or modern production methods, it will be very important to market these bogolan products as pieces of art. Because Rubia would be working with real Malians to produce authentic bogolan, there would definitely be an added value to each product. It would be important for Rubia to emphasize their products authenticity, because so often this is not the case. Rovine elaborates on this further, stating that the bogolan-inspired products that are sold in the United States rarely benefit Malian producers of bogolan. In fact,
18

Ibid. 18

the Malian origins of the cloth are often blurred or erased as the products are sold. Instead, the cloth is associated with ideas and identities unrelated to its history (131)19. Therefore, by working with artisans directly, Rubia would be able to confidently sell a product that is connected with its Malian roots. The fact that these products are actually authentic Malian bogolan should therefore translate into higher prices because of the social value added. Form of the Project A final thing for Rubia to consider is the form that their intervention will actually take. We see it as a spectrum between starting a completely new project and simply aiding in some way with a project that is already in place. In Afghanistan, the project evolved organically out of contacts that were already in place. In Mali, we believe working with contacts that we already have and perhaps aiding them in some way, as opposed to starting a completely new project, is the best way in the beginning. It could perhaps be of use to MaliMali, getting products to craft fairs in the US, or it could financially support women working in traditional bogolan production in the bush, as Sarin suggested. Once Rubia has acquired knowledge about the region and bogolan production, it could look at expanding and perhaps starting a new program to serve a different group of people. Since Rubia has never worked in Mali before, we believe that it should start small, making sure that it is being as effective as possible, before trying to take on more.

19

Ibid. 19

VI. Next Steps

One of the main steps in going forward in this project is to find the group of women that Rubia will eventually be working with. This will likely be accomplished by continuing discussions with Sophie Sarin and Janet Goldner because of their expertise in regards to bogolan in Mali. They are likely to have insight into the women currently working with bogolan who can act as potential partners with Rubia. Our previous research has already determined that there were cooperatives working in Djenne and that there are women with the skills and knowledge necessary to produce bogolan. Sophie and Janet will be vital in understanding how those populations were affected and where Rubia can be of assistance. Another contact Rubia should keep in contact is Badi Hima. He will also help keep Rubia safe and up to speed on the situation in Mali. While the North continues to show violent incidences, Rubia will need to continue to understand the broader effects of that instability on their work. He may also be a good connection with policy leaders, as Rubia finds a role in the recovery of the country. After learning as much as Rubia can remotely, we believe a beneficial next step would be sending a representative to Mali. While this representative should go into Mali with some idea of artisans they can work with, an on-the-ground assessment would be necessary to connect with the women and create further contacts. Ideally, this visit would also involve talking to the women and getting their views on how Rubia could be of most help. Before organizing a project, it is crucial to get the womens opinions on whether preservation of bogolan production is important to their cultural heritage and what they really need out of Rubias program.

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Additionally, the representative could research more closely the production process and the input materials needed to implement this program. Furthermore, Rubia needs to conduct additional analysis on the financial side of implementing this project. It would be beneficial to look more closely at the cost of inputs, such as cloth and dye, as well as the prices at which bogolan can be sold. This research could help Rubia determine specifically how they could be of help, whether by supporting local sale and production or by marketing bogolan at craft fairs and online. Of particular help in this endeavor might be Sophie Sarin, considering that MaliMali has already set up a project that is very similar to what Rubia is hoping to accomplish. Once Rubia has determined the exact form that its project will take, it will need to apply for funding. One potential grant that was identified was the UNESCO World Heritage grant. There are already projects in Dogon country, specifically Djenne, that are being supported by this grant. It would would more applicable, though, if Rubia decided to support traditional bogolan as opposed to the less traditional modern form. Regardless of the path that Rubia chooses, it would be beneficial to look into other grants as well.

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VII. Conclusion
Our objective in this report was to determine the best location and industry for Rubias intervention in Mali. We have determined that Rubia could be of most help to people in the Dogon region. We also determined that bogolan production is a viable product with which Rubia could work. However, there are several other crafts produced in Dogon country, such as masks and baskets, that would be worth investigating. If Rubia chooses to continue in its intention to work with bogolan, it can make use of the contacts we have made in that area in Mali. We have also suggested that, moving forward, Rubia conduct an on-the-ground assessment of the area where they want to work, apply for funding to do so, and stay apprised of the ongoing political situation throughout the process. We hope that by using the information found in this report, Rubia will be better situated in its efforts to help restore hope and opportunities to the women of Mali.

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