Spotlights: Health and the Built Environment

Traditional midwives (in yellow and orange) greet the newly arrived matron, or midwife, in a case de santé near Mopti, Mali.
Photo: AKF / John TomaroIn Mali, AKDN’s health efforts concentrate on infant and maternal health. In the picture above, traditional midwives (in yellow and orange) greet the newly arrived matrone, or midwife (in green), in a case de santé, or health post, in Guidiowel, near Mopti, Mali. The matrone has been trained with the support of the Aga Khan Foundation and certified by the Ministry of Health. The case de santé was built by the villagers with the assistance of the Foundation, which supplied the architect and master mason. The total cost was about US$ 10,000.

These health projects are coordinated with initiatives in education, agricultural projects, civil society strengthening and microfinance, as well as investments in water and sanitation infrastructure, aviation and cultural restoration projects that have revitalised the Komoguel quarter in Mopti.

“Each generation must leave for its successors an enhanced and sustainable social and physical environment.”
Address by His Highness the Aga Khan at the 9th Award Cycle of the AKAA, New Delhi, India
27 November 2004 In Mopti, for example, restoration of the Komoguel mosque is linked to a water supply and sanitation programme that is aimed at improving environmental health in the neighbouring area. It includes: installing a neighbourhood sewage network that connects waste water to a sedimentation and filtration basin; installing and operating a manufacturing facility to produce street-paving blocks made of recycled plastic bags and sand; improving open space with street paving; and providing vocational training in brick manufacturing, construction, sewage and plumbing installations, as well as topographic surveying.

By bringing together social, economic and cultural programmes, AKDN provides a catalyst for positive change in the overall quality of life.

ALSO SEE:
Aga Khan Health Services
Mali

AKDN brochure (2008)
Language: English
Size: 3.67 MB