Mali is one of the least developed countries in the world. Its population is suffering from a severe security crisis caused by political conflicts, violence inflicted by Islamist groups as well as government repression. Many people have been displaced from their homes, resulting in around 400‘000 internally displaced persons. In addition, there are a 70‘000 refugees and asylum seekers.

Especially children are affected: They experience poverty and discrimination and are restricted in their freedom of movement, especially if they live in refugee camps. Over two million children do not attend school, graduation rates are low, and illiteracy and a lack of basic reading and maths skills are widespread. Girls are particularly disadvantaged and often leave school before the age of 14.

Mali is one of the countries the organisation Right To Play (RTP) focusses its humanitarian work on. RTP, founded in 1994 by the organisers of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, is committed to improving the quality of education for children and young people through play and sport.

With its programme EMPOWER, RTP aims to build and strengthen community. In Mali, RTP is focussing primarily on improving the reading and writing skills of children between the ages of six and twelve. RTP supports community organisations to make sure that more than 37‘500 children can benefit from high-quality education.