Bamako, July 27, 2022 - H.E. Uezono Hideki, Japanese Ambassador to Mali, on behalf of the Japan Association for Advancement of ILO Activities, presented the school supplies and textbooks kits to Ms Sidibé Dédéou Ousmane, the Malian Minister of Education National.

To rationalise the meaning of this donation, H.E. Uezono explained that "education is of paramount importance for the elimination of child labour", as stated in the Durban call to action adopted during the 5th World Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held in South Africa in May 2022 which stresses that children should be guaranteed the satisfaction of the right to education. The organization which donated these kits "is an organization that strives to deepen the understanding of the principles of the ILO in Japanese society", noted the H.E. Uezono.

For her part, Ms. Dédéou Ousmane welcomed these kits and praised the passion and commitment of teachers to transmitting knowledge to future generations “You have chosen to take on this noble responsibility. You can be very proud of it, and you have my full support," added the Minister of National Education. “The ILO supports Mali in its efforts to combat child labour, and given that the issue of child labour is closely linked to access to education, we support the Ministry of National Education,” explained on behalf of the ILO, Sophie Deconinck, Senior Specialist in Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Four thousand school kits made up of school backpacks, books, geometric materials, notebooks, and sports equipment have been provided to children who will begin the 2022-2023 school year at public schools. The heads of the NGOs GRAADECOM and CAEB and several actors of national education were present at this donation ceremony. The CLEAR Cotton and ACCEL Africa projects support the Strategy for Accelerated Schooling through Pathways (SSA/P) of basic education as a viable alternative for the withdrawal of children aged 8 to 12 from the cotton and gold panning supply chains. They have been collaborating since the 2019-2020 school year with their operational partners, particularly the NGOs GRAADECOM and CAEB, both accredited by the Ministry of National Education for the implementation of the SSA/P. The SSA/P is an accelerated educational formula allowing children (boys and girls) aged 8 to 12 who have not attended school or dropped out early to be transferred to formal education after nine months of learning in specialized centres.