The First Lady of Mali Launches the Plan of Action

Mali has become the third of the West African nations to launch their national control programme.

Mali has become the third of the West African nations to launch their national control programme.

On November 23rd in Segou Town, the regional capital of Segou Region, some 250 km North East of the capital Bamako, the First Lady of Mali, Mme Toure Lobbo Traore launched the plan of action National Lutte Contre la Schistosomiase et Helminthiases. The launching ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Segou, a representative of the Governor of the Region, the Minister de la Sante (Minister of Health) Mme Maiga Zeinab Mint Youba, and the Ministre de la Promotion de la Femme , de l'Enfant et de la Famille (Minister of promotion of women, children and the Family) Mme Berthe Aissata Bengaly.

Image: The Minister of Health and First Lady at the lauch ceremony

The ceremony consisted of speeches interspersed with performances by dancers and school children. The Director of SCI, Professor Alan Fenwick, pledged support to the national programme for at least two years. The Minister of Health praised the Ministry staff for embarking on this programme, and pledged her support. The First Lady acknowledged the external support which would allow the programme to start, and urged people to participate in this treatment programme but also other in programmes being implemented by the Ministry of Health, such as EPI including polio eradication.

After lunch the First Lady was presented to schoolchildren who played a football match in the stadium. In the evening a performance by dancers and marionettes continued well into the night. Now that the programme has been launched, the plan is to treat 800,000 school aged children in Segou region during December 2004.

The programme will expand in 2005 to reach up to 2 million people.