Bésèya: new advocacy platform in Mali

As part of the implementation of the Right2Grow project, a platform has been set up to give visibility to all project activities but more precisely to be a reference in WASH and Nutrition outside the project and will highlight with initiatives in this area. It was launched on 26 May 2022 in Bamako and was attended by the Minister of Mines, Energy and Water, the Minister of Youth and Sport, the Deputy Country Director of Action Against Hunger, the Ambassador of Denmark, the Head of Programmes of the Embassy of Norway, the partner structures of the project as well as the Malian press.

To achieve this, the Youth Association for Active Citizenship and Democracy (AJCAD) in partnership with Action Against Hunger, lead of the Right2Grow project consortium, with regard to the place that digital technology occupies in everyday life, created the platform (application/website) Bèsèya "with the aim of strengthening access to information on good nutritional practices, hygiene and accountability of actors at all levels".

According to the Executive Director of AJCAD, in the country, the prevalence of acute malnutrition is estimated at 09.4%, and 2.0% in its severe form. Prioritizing access to water in urban areas to the detriment of rural areas, where needs are growing for populations, leads to social unrest/conflict and a decline in food production.

This is corroborated by the Deputy Country Director of Action Against Hunger, according to whom "the program not only advocates for the integration of nutrition into policy but also to improve community participation in its implementation".

The Minister of Mines, Energy and Water, Lamine Seydou Traoré, for his part, welcomed the creation of the Bèsèya platform which, according to him, is timely. The minister said he was convinced that the Bèsèya platform will make it possible to bridge the State's efforts in terms of access by the population to drinking water in accordance with the vision of the Head of State, Colonel Assimi Goïta, who wishes to alleviate the suffering of the population. «This tool will certainly and necessarily help the State to continue to provide adequate responses to the needs of the population. My department and that of Health, in a multisectoral approach, see in this tool the best way to mobilize, engage and facilitate the participation of communities, community organizations and the private sector in order to raise awareness among citizens for a better use of water. »

Bèsèya which means in Bambara "cleanliness, healthy lifestyle and food", is available in Bambara and French on Android and Apple smartphones. Among other things, it offers citizens advice on nutritional practices, a forum for debate and advocacy on access to drinking water, etc.