The Malian Ministry of Education aims to reopen 62 schools that had been closed since 2012 due to the conflict crisis, a result of a coup that had led to militants occupying parts of northern Mali. To prepare for the new academic year, a special one-month summer school program was created for youth in the Kidal region of the country.

The Goal

This special program was created thanks to support from USAID’s two-year Mali Peace Initiative, also known by its French acronym, ACCORD (Programme d’Appui à la Cohésion Communautaire et les Opportunités de Réconciliation et de Développement). AECOM managed grants under ACCORD, which awarded an in-kind grant to the Kidal Teaching Academy, the Malian government body responsible for school management in the Kidal region.

Achievements and Outcomes

The program attracted 808 students — 410 boys and 398 girls — from grades one to nine. The students completed standard curriculum courses and transitioned to a new grade the following year. The funding helped provide school uniforms, school manuals, a t-shirt for each student and a small honorarium for the 40 teachers recruited to participate in the program.

It helped reinvigorate school life after years of interruption. According to the director, it built excitement for the upcoming school year and despite a chronic shortage of teachers, students remained devoted and hardworking throughout the month.

Our Work and the SDGs

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been adopted by countries to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. AECOM supports the SDGs. You can read AECOM’s Sustainability Report 2016  to learn more about how our work on clients’ projects, like this one, is helping transform the world.