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The Association des Jeunes pour la Citoyenneté Active et la Démocratie (AJCAD) is a local youth-led peacebuilding organisation in Mali. AJCAD aims to engage young people in the democratic processes of the country and support them to bring their voices to decision-making bodies. They are committed to defending young people’s rights, and working towards mobilising, informing, and training youth to become more active and responsible citizens.    

What's happening in Mali?

Mali has faced sustained conflict between armed groups linked to Al-Queda and counterterrorism operations. A 2015 peace agreement between the groups broke down in 2023, placing millions Malians at risk of group violence. No system of accountability is in place to retaliate to the break of peace agreement. Mali’s central government, which came to power in a 2021 coup, severely diminished civilian protection in expelling the UN peacekeeping force.  

Violence against citizens has risen significantly, and many are unable to access education, healthcare, and sanitation due to political and social instability. Prolonged droughts have led to heightened conflict as civilians fight for scarce essential resources. Our partner focuses on youth engagement and social cohesion to build bridges in this time of intense vulnerability. 

Some of their goals include:  

  • strengthening democracy and good governance in Mali;   
  • improving access to health, education and environment for young people;   
  • contributing to human rights being respected and youth’s access to justice; and   
  • increasing the participation of youth in the process of establishing maintaining a climate of lasting peace. 

Since its inception to the present day, AJCAD has worked on various themes and has been involved in advocacy efforts with decision makers. They have conducted sessions to dialogue with candidates in presidential and legislative elections, mobilised voters to register and vote as well as analysed the impact of candidate’s social projects.   

  • Bintou attended AJCAD's leadership trainings to be able to support her community, with a focus on ensuring girls are able to stay in education. She now supports with delivering interactive sessions around gender-based violence, female leadership and sexual health.
  • Bourama is a teacher, nurse and community peace activist in Sévare, Mali. With AJCAD's support he leads an association of young people spreading messages of peace, resolving community conflicts, and ensuring the inclusion of children of soldiers - like himself - in peace work.
  • Modibo, a young leader with AJCAD who learned about his rights and community development through AJCAD's capacity strengthening training.
  • Binta lives at a refugee centre in Bamako, where AJCAD has constructed drinking water and latrines and taught the community soap-making skills to help build financial resilience.

We have partnered with AJCAD since 2019, through our flexible funding initiative called the Local Action Fund – formerly the Youth Action for Peace programme. Recently, our joint efforts have focused on strengthening civil society, and fostering spaces for dialogue and collective reflection with women and youth activists nationwide. In parallel, AJCAD has provided targeted community support, including a school canteen program for internally displaced populations and other strategic interventions.

Learn more about AJCAD on their website.

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