Solidarité pour l’Autopromotion à la Base (SABA)

Decentralization and Good Governance  

In 2001 SABA continued with activities under two service contracts. The first was for strengthening the capacity of Grassroots Co-operatives (PRECOB), and the second was the facilitation of the Hunger and Poverty project (PAIB sub-projects).

Support activities to grassroots communities included strengthening the capacity of grassroots organisation (PRECOB). This program is currently on-going in 32 districts/localities in the MOPTI region.

At the end of 2001, PRECOB had achieved appreciable results in CBO capacity building including:

• 102 partner farmers’ organisations provided with organisational support and capacity building in cattle rearing and cereals.
• 12 ASACO partners received support for their organisational strengthening, management of their community health centre and health promotion in their respective areas,
• More than 1000 officials of farmers’ associations and CBOs, out of which 400 are trained women, received support in management of their organisations and their activities

• 83 district councils trained and/or supported to perform their function.

• 246 training and counseling services provided to partners in the areas of management of CBOs and their activities

• 108 self diagnostics of CBOs undertaken to enable their owners to have better visibility of the organisations,

• 71 Internal Regulations put in place or translated into the local language to ensure better functioning of organisations concerned.

• 49 community associations helped to receive official recognition,

• 8 ASACO partners became shareholders in ASACO FURASO SA, a company engaged in the import and distribution of essential drugs, established with the support of the program and its counterpart in Koulikoro, Sikasso and Segou.

• About 15 cattle associations became shareholders in the Société de Gestion du Marché Frontalier (SOGEMAF) the Border market Management Company at Sikasso

Natural Resources Management (including Sustainable Agriculture/Food Security)

SABA provided technical backstopping/follow-up on the trial marketing of high grade animals, an activity executed on behalf of the Agro-Business Centre (CAE) at Konna in the Mopti Region.

During this activity, SABA helped the Association for the Exploitation of Animal Production in Konna (AEPAK) to successfully undertake the test marketing of about 60 heads of cattle.  The test mobilised a credit of 10 million CFA francs granted by the Agro-Business Center.

The support provided by SABA consisted in helping the test officers (4 fatteners and five members of the steering committee) to plan and manage production activities (fattening of livestock) and to market their product. In concrete terms the test allowed SABA and its partners, CAE and livestock breeders at Konna to demonstrate the need and the efficacy of good planning of activities.

At the end of the activity the credit had been completely reimbursed and the fatteners had realised a gross profit of 1,424,295 CFA francs being a rate of 14.2% for a period of four (4) months’ activities.

During the year under review, SABA undertook  sub-contracts  in the Support to Grassroots Initiatives in the struggle against Hunger and Poverty (PAIB), a program executed in the Bandiagara region of Mali.