Mali: Promoting the leadership of children and young people, especially girls

In the project regions, children and especially girls (as well as women), are rarely or never involved in decision-making and development processes that also affect them. However, it has been shown time and again that they in particular can make a decisive contribution to community development and to improving the situation of children's rights locally.

There are numerous reasons for the lack of children and especially girls in leadership and management positions. Unfortunately, many adults are still reluctant to accept such a leadership role. They harbor (also socially conditioned) prejudices and often doubt the necessary competence of girls and boys. In fact, those often lack only sufficient opportunities and experience to be able to present their issues rhetorically and linguistically competent and convincing, especially when dealing with adults. In addition, children who hold a leadership role or have the potential to do so are often left to their own devices. They are rarely supported by adults and are not networked with other child or adult leaders with whom they can share experiences, discuss issues and clarify approaches.

The project aims to significantly increase the presence of children and especially girls, in decision-making/development bodies and to strengthen them. Local child and youth representatives are empowered to take on a leadership or decision-making role in their communities and to ensure that the opinions and interests of children are heard and taken into account in the future through concrete actions. In addition, synergies between children, youth and women's groups and individuals responsible for youth and community development are promoted.

At the end of the project, children and young people (at least 60% girls) in all 76 villages in 19 rural communities in the Dioila, Ségou and San regions of Mali will be active in leadership positions or decision-making bodies and will be accepted.

• Children will have the necessary skills and platforms to take on a leadership role in their villages or to participate in decision-making bodies.
• Adults and particularly adult leaders have a positive attitude towards children and particularly girls in decision-making and leadership positions.
• The local project partner GRADEM has improved capacity to implement projects in the field of leadership and gender with good content and technical quality.

• 380,000 children (60% girls) in the project area
• 83 state leaders (50% women) from the three project regions
• 284 civil society leaders (50% women) from the three project regions
• the population of the project area: almost 4 million people, of whom 2.2 million are adults (50% women) and 1.8 million are children (46% girls)

• Strengthening the skills of child and adult leaders
• Creating a coaching service for children on leadership issues
• Promoting the networking of child and adult leaders
• (Re-)activating and supporting functional children's/youth offices in the project villages
• Conducting awareness campaigns on the leadership role of children and girls in particular
• Organising intergenerational roundtables and discussion forums
• Disseminating good practices to promote the leadership of children/youth and especially girls

Total project costs: 534,160 Euros

Financial partners:

• German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
• Kinderrechte Afrika e. V., i.e. donations

Cover picture: Let's give the leadership role of young people and especially girls a chance! © GRADEM