Joliba Trust has supported grassroots development projects in Mali for over 30 years. It knows the country and its people well and works with local partners to ensure that its work is low cost and effective.

It focusses on sustaining and improving rural livelihoods in particularly poor areas in order to reduce the need for migration; improving the lives of women and children and providing opportunities for young people.

Projects have included:

• Building over 200 village wells in an area with the least access to water in the world
• Planting and regenerating millions of trees.  Thirty percent of women’s income in the reforested areas now comes from tree products.
• Developing a women’s micro-credit fund which has provided a lifeline to very poor women, allowing them to start small enterprises such as planting vegetable gardens and better crops, raising sheep and goats, and starting small market activities. The original fund is now managed by the women and run autonomously.