Free a Family West Africa

Family Members: Gidado (father), Daana (1998), Hammadi (2000), Mariama (2004), Sammba (2006)

Hometown: Feyi, Mali

Source of Income: Rasing Goats, cows, sheep, and poultry. Weaving and selling mats. 

CRWRC Partner Working with the Family: Kurmari - Fulbe

Meet the Bah Family!

The Bah family, our representative family for West Africa, includes Gidado (the father), Alti (the mother) and their four children Daana, Hammadi, Mariama and Sammba – all of whom live in the village of Feyi in central Mali.

Hard clay soils and little rainfall keep Feyi from being fertile for farming. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic cow herders, but the 100 people of Feyi live year round in their village, with just a few of the younger men leaving with the cow herds during the hot dry season. Like others in Feyi, the Bah family’s income an livelihood revolve around animals.

Very soon the lives of the Bah family will change dramatically. The US-based Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is undertaking a big rice irrigation project. This project will directly affect 30 Fulani villages in the area, including Feyi. Each of these villages will be resettled to a new location as their old homes become rice fields. Each household is to receive irrigated fields as well. The project will also bring schools, clinics, literacy classes and agricultural training.

CRWRC played a key advocacy role so that these Fulani villages would be recognized, resettled and given compensation packages. This advocacy shed light on corruption that was taking place to try to displace the Fulani villages without adequate compensation. CRWRC is continuing its advocacy with the Fulanis and the MCC project during this implementation stage. CRWRC will also help families transition to this new way of life.