We’ve discussed the idea of creating a bilingual edition of Where There is No Doctor for use in Mali, that would have both French and Bambara, on facing pages. The reason? Most doctors, nurses, and health workers are educated exclusively in French. However, most rural people do not speak French well, if at all. This can cause trouble*–when it comes to subjects like medicines and dosages, communicating clearly can mean the difference between life and death. In response, the Ministry of Health and others have published lexicons, or lists of French and Bambara words, for use by health workers.
A bilingual Where There is No Doctor is meant to be much more. It is a comprehensive guide for community health workers, covering a wide range of topics in its 450 pages. Here is what it might look like. Please share your thoughts. Would this be helpful? How might different groups use it? (View on Issuu, or download a PDF.)
* A 2004 study in Bougouni, Mali by epidemiologists from Johns Hopkins and the University of Bamako found that “drug consultations done in both French and the local language, Bambara, had higher scores than those conducted exclusively in Bambara.”
For the last few months, our team has been busy working on the Introduction to the Bambara-language edition of Where There is No Doctor. Today, we’re publishing the draft of this chapter online. Check out a PDF copy on our Downloads page, or try this handy viewer courtesy of Issuu.
We received a stirring testimonial from our friend and colleague Greg Flatt in Massachusetts, who recently contacted us to congratulate us on our efforts and offer encouragement. Greg and his wife Cindy founded ECOVA Mali five years ago to help Malian villagers and promote food security and rural development.
As a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in rural Mali in the late 1990s, I have distinct memories of being helped out personally, or being able to help out others by poring through the pages of “Where There Is No
An ECOVA-Mali community garden in Mali
Doctor.” It helped me to understand various symptoms and ailments and their probable causes. Importantly, it also tells you how serious or urgent a condition might be, and what kind of treatment(s) might be useful or necessary.
I have maintained close ties with Mali and have been back many times in numerous capacities. I am always struck by the profound power that literacy holds—a power that is inaccessible to most Malians. Fortunately, Mali has made significant headway in implementing an educational policy that prioritizes local language literacy as a component of primary education. Since most Malians don’t go to school beyond primary school (and, sadly, many don’t get a chance to go at all), any useful educational material that can be made available in local languages can have a profound impact, especially when dealing with issues of health and nutrition, and illness prevention and treatment.
An additional benefit of the “Where There Is No Doctor” is the abundant use of illustration. Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words. I fully support the publication of this valuable book in Bamanankan (Bambara), and praise the Dokotoro Project’s efforts to bring it into reality. It has the very real potential to positively impact vast numbers of Malians. The majority of Malians who live on the margins of medical access will benefit from the publication of this book in their local language. So to will those who live in larger towns and cities, many of whom do not know enough about various health conditions to adequately triage life-threatening situations and take advantage of what medical resources are available to them.
I recently had a chat with my friend and colleague Dr. John Akudago, who praised the work that we’re doing. John is from the small town of Zebilla, in northern Ghana. Today he lives in New Mexico with his wife and three kids and works as a senior researcher at the Pacific Institute. He shared with me a story about how people in his community frequently referred to Where There is No Doctor.
Growing up in Ghana, the book “Where There is No Doctor” was very well-known. Kiosk vendors would refer to the book to help diagnose and treat sick customers. They would listen carefully to our symptoms, then refer to the book to learn what medicine to take and how often. The vendors that used the book got a good reputation in the community, and had a big advantage over their competitors.
There were no hospitals in the region. The closest one must have been 40 miles away, and it was a long and expensive trip. I and many others benefited from the advice in this book. It practically turned non-experts into doctors!”
A huge thank you to everyone who is helping to make this book become a reality. Our Have a Heart for Mali campaign recently passed the $11,000 mark! Please consider making a donation to help us to meet our goal of $20,000 by March 31.
Today, March 8th in celebrating International Women’s Day. Unfortunately, for many African women, pregnancy and childbirth is a death sentence. In Mali, 1 in 22 women will die from maternal health complications (compared to about 1 in 600 in the United States, or 1 in 1,400 in Australia). This graph, from an MPH thesis by Elizabeth Swedo at Emery University, powerfully summarizes one of the major reasons we launched the Dokotoro Project.
The book Where There is No Doctor contains a wealth of information on women’s health, including pregnancy, delivery, and reproductive health. Access to this medically-accurate, up-to-date information can save lives. That is why we chose to make Chapter 19, Information for Mothers and Midwives, one of the first chapters to be translated. Check out the draft version on our Downloads page.
And thank you to everyone who is helping to make this book become a reality. Our Have a Heart for Mali campaign is close to passing the $11,000 mark. Please consider making a donation to help us to meet our goal of $20,000 by March 31.
The Mali Health Organizing Project is a US-based nonprofit organization that works in Mali’s urban areas to improve women’s and children’s health. In January, we met with them to share ideas and discuss how we might help one another.
One of Mali Health’s collaborators, Dr. Diakaridia Traore, is currently helping us to review materials before translation. And we think that the book will be a tremendous resource for their team of community health workers. So we were pleased to receive these words of support from their Executive Director, Kris Ansin:
We commend the important work being done by the Dokotoro Project to translate this vital text into Mali’s most widely spoken language. As the introduction to Where There is No Doctor puts it, “even where there are doctors, people should take the lead in their own healthcare” – but in order to do that, they need educational resources. This translation is a practical and important step to removing barriers and empowering communities, both peri-urban and rural, to be proactive in the pursuit of better health.
If you want to help us make this life-saving information available to regular people in Mali, please consider making a donation during our Have a Heart for Mali campaign. Help us reach our goal of $20,000 by March 31!
This looks like an initiative to keep an eye on, since many people in West Africa have mobile phones and text messages are an inexpensive way to transmit text. What do you think? Can you imagine reading Where There is No Doctor 140 characters at a time?
“Even as we all love to debate the scholarly merits of Wikipedia, there’s no denying that it’s an immensely powerful research and learning tool. That goes doubly so in poor nations, where access to education materials can be limited to nonexistent. To that end, Wikimedia started the Wikipedia Zero project, which aims to partner with mobile service providers to bring Wikipedia to poor regions free of charge. It’s a killer strategy, because while computer and internet access is still fleeting for much of the world, cell phones are far more ubiquitous. Wikimedia claims that four mobile partnerships signed since 2012 brings free Wiki service to 330 million cell subscribers in 35 countries, a huge boon for folks whose phones have web capability but who can’t afford data charges.”
The Friends of Mali organization has been in hibernation for the last several years, but there are efforts afoot to rejuvenate the organization (on Facebook here, or read more below). Given recent events, I think you’ll agree: Mali needs more friends in the international community, now more than ever. The old Friends of Mali website is still online thanks to Jeff Spivack (Mopti Region, 1996–98), and while it is no longer actively updated, it still contains a few interesting items. Our purpose in writing now is to reconnect the community, and to invite you to help us re-launch the organization, either as an organizer, member, or supporter.
Dozens of country-of service groups help connect Peace Corps alumni and help carry out the Third Goal of Peace Corps: “to help Americans understand the people and cultures of other countries.”
The Friends of Mali group has come and gone at least twice over the years, and was last active about 8 or 9 years ago. In 2003, the Friends of Mali sent dozens of volunteers to participate in Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival, which highlighted the art, music, and culture of Mali. At the time, the organization was quite official: we had bylaws, elections, dues-paying members, a printed newsletter, and a state-of-the-art (for the time) website. A new incarnation for Friends of Mali could look similar, or it could be something simpler, like a Facebook page where people can share photos, links, and information.
If you are interested in re-launching Friends of Mali, or just want to stay in touch, click “like” on the new Facebook page. If you’re not on Facebook, you can contact Jumana Qamruddin (Segou region, 1998–2000).
Most “Friends of” groups are member groups of the National Peace Corps Association. The NPCA welcomes new member groups at any time. Read more about resources and member group benefits at NPCA’s website.
Translating Where There Is No Doctor into Bambara
Who can forget the book Where There Is No Doctor? I inherited a tattered copy at my site, which was a frequent source of amusement and horror. Of course, no one in my village could read or understand English, but its illustrations were occasionally useful to communicate health-related subjects. And unfortunately, I sometimes needed it for self-diagnosis (Yikes, what’s that rash?).
In April 2012, a group of volunteers – most of us Mali RPCVs – started the Dokotoro Project, to adapt and translate Where There Is No Doctor into Bambara. We are working closely with the book’s publisher, Hesperian Health Guides, based in Berkeley, California. Our goal is to make the book available in Bambara, as well as to create bilingual editions in French-Bambara and English-Bambara.
Dokotoro Project volunteer Michelle Chan observed, “We all believe that everyone deserves adequate health care, no matter where they live. In Mali, a woman is 25 times as likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth as a woman in the United States, and that needs to change.”
The translation work is being done in Bamako by a dedicated team of professional translators, all former PC Mali language instructors. We have finished two chapters, and they have been expertly laid out by professional medical illustrator and designer Ruth McDonald (Mali, 2003–04) and are posted on the Dokotoro website for feedback.
We need your help! We could particularly use additional tubabukan experts for French translation, or anyone with a medical background or recent experience with medicine in Mali. To volunteer, contact Jenna Lohmann (Koulikoro region 2011–12) at jenna@dokotoro.org.
And of course, we need more money. We’ve already raised over $9,000, but we need about $30,000 total for translation, editing, and field-testing. Please consider making an online donation through First Giving, or send a check to the address here.
We’d love to hear from you! How did you use Where There is No Doctor? What would you do to make it better suited for Mali? Drop us a line and stay in touch at our website dokotoro.org, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
—Matthew Heberger, Segou Region 1996–1998
Other Ways to Help
Since the outbreak of violence in northern Mali in January 2012, thousands of northern Malians have been forced to flee from their homes. The situation is only getting worse with the recent escalation of hostilities. Estimates of the number of refugees vary, but Doctors without Borders estimated that 260,000 had fled their homes as of April 2012.
Refugee camps in Niger and Mauritania are crowded, and the living conditions are difficult. Much of the region suffered from drought over the last two years, increasing the difficulty of providing food and water for refugees.
The Mentao Nord refugee camp in Burkina Faso. Photo by Pablo Tosco/Oxfam.
The needs in Mali are great. Please consider donating to an organization you believe in. Here are several reputable organizations active in providing aid and relief to refugees in Mali and neighboring countries. Agencies working in the region include, but are certainly not limited to:
Bridges from Bamako is a blog by Mali RPCV (1997-1999) Bruce Whitehouse, professor of anthropology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Bruce was on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2012 and living with his family in Bamako when the coup took place and violence broke out. During the coup Bruce posted frequent updates to his blog, including excerpts from the Malian media and “man on the street” viewpoints. He continues to post occasional essays and insightful analysis.
Gregory Mann — A historian of francophone West Africa at Columbia University, Dr. Mann occasionally posts articles at the news and opinion blog “Africa Is a Country.”
Peter Tinti — Another Mali RPCV and a freelance journalist who splits his time between Bamako and Dakar, and reports for the Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, and others. His articles are compiled at ptinti.com.
Children playing in the water outside of Hombori, Mali. Photo courtesy of Rafael Jariod Franco/CC ONG.
News & Information from Mali en français
Of course, there are plenty of online sources to read news from Mali in French.
Maliweb.net is a rich, frequently updated news site. It is a clipping service that links to articles from many French-language sites in France, Mali, and elsewhere.
Radio France Internationale’s Africa coverage — For up to the minute coverage of the hostilities, RFI has published “Mali: suivez les événements en direct” which is updated constantly throughout the day.
Update from Peace Corps Mali
Activities suspended in April 2012
More than 2,600 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Mali since the program was established in 1971. However, the program has undergone and is continuing to experience dramatic changes since the military coup in March 2012, which prompted Peace Corps to evacuate all 186 volunteers in country and suspend any admission of new volunteers until the political situation is stabilized.
The loss of all volunteers and related activities has resulted in corresponding scaling-back of Peace Corps Mali staff, infrastructure, and programming.
Peace Corps Mali Staff at Tubani So in June 2011.
The Kayes, Segou, and Mopti regional houses have closed, leaving the Kita, Sikasso, Bamako, and Dioila houses open. Peace Corps is maintaining these houses in the hopes of bringing in a new stage as soon as is safe and reasonable.
Training staff have re-organized the programs and plan to move forward with four sectors: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene; Community Economic Development; Agro-forestry; and Education. They have decided to suspend the Health Education program for the time being.
As for future volunteers, the current Director for Programming and Training, Jolie Dennis, says that, “The date of Peace Corps Response Volunteers return to Mali is still an unknown given this country is a complete mess in the north and the south these days. If we are lucky, by the end of 2013 or early 2014, but right now we are trying to get through each day and pray the rebels don’t take more government-held territory and that these fools demonstrating en masse knock it off so we can have one stable portion of the country.”
Former Country Director Mike Simsik visiting volunteer sites in Dogon country.
Malian Musicians on Tour in 2013
Despite the troubles at home, many Malian musicians continue to tour all around the globe. Get out to an upcoming concert if you can. What better way is there to celebrate Malian culture and support world-class musicians? Below is a selection of Malian artists with North American tour dates scheduled in 2013. Want to stay tuned for more? Check out Afropop Worldwide. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit the African Music Calendar at sf-africa.com.
Fatoumata Diawara—The actor and singer-songwriter behind the recent Mali-Ko project which brought together a who’s who of Malian musicians to call for unity and peace.
Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal—Malian Kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko joins French Cellist Vincent Segal are touring to support their new album Chamber Music, hailed by NPR as the “most beautiful world music record of the decade.”
Vieux Farka Touré—The son of the late great Ali Farka Touré, who has become an international star in his own right. His 2012 album the Tel Aviv Sessions with Israeli pianist and composer Idan Raichel was unforgettable.
Habib Koité—A perrennial favorite. In 2013, he appears with American blues musician Eric Bibb on the “Brothers in Bamako” tour, in a stripped-down acoustic show without his regular band Bamada.
Tinariwen—The Tuareg super-group of desert rockers won the world music Grammy in 2012 for their album Tassili.
During my Peace Corps experience in Mali, Where There is No Doctor was one of the few practical, life-saving books I used in my work in a small clinic. How useful it would have been to have a copy in Bambara so that health workers in my village could read it!
When talking to friends about the Dokotoro Project, I tell them that to really understand the health challenges in Mali, they should read Monique and the Mango Rains.
In this extraordinary work of non-fiction, Ms. Holloway describes her time as a Peace Corps health worker and the extraordinary friendship she develops with a young village midwife, Monique Dembelé. I am not exaggerating when I say, “you will laugh and you will cry” while reading this book.
It’s particularly great to have Kris’s support, just as we launch our six-week fundraising campaign, “Have a Heart for Mali.” This is our effort to raise $20,000 (two-thirds of our translation budget) by March 31.
Monique and the Mango Rains is now available on Kindle from Amazon.com. All sales of the book support Clinique Monique, the rural health clinic established in Monique’s honor.
This Valentine’s Day, the Dokotoro Project is launching a six-week fundraising campaign to inspire people around the world to “Have a Heart for Mali” and contribute to the long-term health of Malians. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, and it is currently in the midst of an acute humanitarian crisis. Because of the disruption of basic services – including health care – the needs of ordinary Malians are greater than ever.
This short 3-minute video (edited by volunteer Scott Saraceno) explains why our project, to adapt and translate the book Where There is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Manual into Bambara, is so critical, and why we need your help.
Here’s the deal: It will cost about $30,000 to translate, proofread, and edit this 600-page health guide. Why so expensive? We pay our Mali-based translation team 10 cents per word for translation, and an additional 10 cents for a double-round of proofreading. We then pay a separate editor for a final quality check.
We also have a team of volunteers who provide thousands of dollars worth of in-kind contributions through French-English translations, professional design and layout, and medical review. But if we don’t have the basic funds to pay our translators, we can’t unlock the additional value of all these volunteers.
Our goal for the “Have A Heart for Mali” campaign is to raise a total of $20,000 for the project (we have already raised over $8,500). This amounts to two-thirds of our total translation budget, so we need your help.
Every dollar we raise is fully tax deductible and will pay for our direct translation costs.
$250 can pay for printing and binding about 16 books
$150 will pay for translating, proofreading, editing, testing, and printing one page
$100 can help us pay for a one-day workshop in Mali for partners to review the book
$50 will allow us to translate and proofread 1 ½ pages
