Sory, vaccinated against polio thanks to Mama Yeleen

In the courtyard of the Keita family, in the heart of the Ségoubou neighborhood of the city of Kita, in western Mali, Mady, 31 and mother of four children, takes a look into a pot on the cooking stove. She is boiling peanut paste with the leaves for the "Gnoukouna" sauce, a specialty of the region.

Mady devotes the equivalent of half a day per week to her community to promote children's rights. Several times a week, dressed in her Mama Yeleen awareness-raising uniform, she visits neighboring families with her small bag containing the Awareness Kit. This is how she met little Sory, who is 4 years old and has just been vaccinated against polio.

“I was informed by the vaccinators that a family refused to vaccinate his child against polio, so I went along. It wasn’t easy at first, the grandmother was a bit reluctant, but after I explained, she understood the benefits of polio vaccination. I immediately informed the vaccinators that the grandmother has agreed that her grandson gets vaccinated. The team arrived and vaccinated the child. I’m very happy and proud of my work.”

The Mama Yeleen are active throughout Mali and participate in awareness raising in addition to community health workers, mobilizers and town criers. As volunteers, they are committed to raising awareness among households in their village or neighborhood about essential family practices. During their exchanges, during home visits and focus groups, they share messages on the importance of routine vaccination, birth registration, exclusive breastfeeding, the importance of formal education for girls and boys, the harms of child marriage and FGM, among other issues. The Mama Yeleen play an important role in the well-being of their community, particularly that of women and children. In the Kita region, there are 147 Mama Yeleen practicing in 17 neighborhoods of the city of Kita and in the 9 health areas in the Séféto district.

“I am very pleased that my grandson has been vaccinated against polio, as this provides him with protection against a serious disease that can lead to paralysis in children. I will ensure that all my grandchildren receive their vaccinations so that they can grow up healthy”, stated the grandmother of young Sory.

"Just as light shines, our mission as Mama Yeleen is to ensure that this light illuminates the heart and life of every family, allowing each child to grow up in good health and enjoy all their rights," said Mady Keita, Mama Yeleen.

Polio vaccination campaigns in Mali are carried out by the Government with the support of its partners, including UNICEF, and with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Philanthropy Partners and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.