Thank you for helping me fundraise for an environmental project I'll be part of in Mali

1. The struggle against
Desertification

2. MALI: Amongst POOREST nations in the world

3. while being, with Niger, the African nation most impacted by
DESERTIFICATION

4. WHAT IS DESERTIFICATION?
The change from once fertile land... into desert

5. WHAT CAUSES DESERTIFICATION?
Climate Change Deforestation
- –
Global Warming Resource exploitation

7. IMPACTS OF DESERTIFICATION
Environmental Economic Poverty
• Desertification makes areas more flood-prone. It also causes the salt level in soil to rise, results in
deteriorating quality of water, and silting of rivers, streams and reservoirs.
• World Bank estimates that at the global level, the annual income foregone in the areas
affected by desertification amounts to US$ 42 billion each year, while the annual cost of
fighting land degradation would cost only US$ 2.4 billion a year
• People living in areas threatened by desertification are forced to move elsewhere to find other
means of livelihood. Usually they migrate towards urban areas or go abroad. Mass migration is a
major consequence of desertification. From 1997 to 2020, some 60 million people are
expected to move from the desertified areas in Sub-Saharan Africa towards Northern Africa
and Europe.

8. THE MALI STRUGGLE
Will we be able to save the Niger river, Mali’s
bloodline, from instinction due to desertification?

9. THE MALI STRUGGLE
The Niger river in Mali has been the life
source of its population since 4000 BC!
Strategic Commercial Route Primary source of water
Fishing Vital for cattle grazing & Agriculture

10. THE MALI STRUGGLE
Relics, cultures and traditions of great civilizations
that have flourished through the ages by the
Niger river in Mali can still be admired today...

11. THE MALI STRUGGLE
Its all well on its way to being lost
forever, reduced to this...

12. Today’s realities of desertification on
the banks of the Niger river in Mali
• Its becoming more and more difficult for boats to move along the
river due to its record low levels. Commerce has never been so bad for
the region
• The river has never been so polluted as vegetation around its banks
dies, and the natural filtration cycle of the water is broken down
• Marine life is ever closer to extinction, eradicating with it one of the
country’s treasures: fishing
• Historical agricultural lands are disappearing, due to the invading
sand and extremely arid soil
• Herdsman have never had to travel so far to feed their live stock,
which during these long journey’s most often die of starvation
• Women are having to travel by foot for days in order to gather wood
for cooking

14. I’ve been selected by a non-profit organization,
LE CREDIL, to be part of a team of 6 who are going
to be implementing an environmental project in
Mali for 3 months: February – March – April 2011

15. What is it?
A partnership established 4 years ago between Le CREDIL and
l’Organisation pour la gestion de l’environnement au Sahel (OGES),
a non-profit Malien organisation, to fight against deforestation by
bringing the needed assistance to affected local communities, and
engaging them in the long-term solutions for preserving and
developing their autonomy
http://www.credil.qc.ca/index.jsp?p=43#__Aux_portes_du_Sahel___au_Mali__stage_sp_cialis__

16. What will we be doing?
The project and our tasks will be comprised of 5 main activities / pillars
that we will be undertaking with the local population of Kamaka village,
in the North part of Mali close to the desert, where desertification is
having the biggest impact on the environment and its people
Planting Improving Composting / Improving
Optimizing
energy efficiency Soil Fertilizers drying of
fruit trees wells
food

17. How can you contribute?
1. Each of the 6 team members is raising funds of $2,000 that will
be directly invested in making the project happen (pls see previous slide)
2. Additional funds raised above the needed $ 2,000 will be invested in a
project that the team will identify once on the ground
$ 4,000
Additional funds that will be invested on a project to be
identified by the team once on the ground and with the
local organisation
$ 2,000
Funds needed for the project we have been assigned to
(see previous slide)

18. $ 4,000
Every single possible
contribution / donation
... whatever the amount (A $ 2,000
buck is an amount )...
gets us 1 step ahead in our
common fight Vs
deforestation!

19. For your donations, thank you for contacting:
If you are in
Canada
If you are in
Lebanon
joeykhoury79@gmail.com
liza_charbel@hotmail.com
An official LE CREDIL receipt will be provided to every donator
(If donation is made in Lebanon, receipt will be emailed within couple of weeks after donation is made)

20. Appreciating your time taken with this presentation, do not hesitate
to pass on the message by forwarding this presentation to
whomever could be willing to be part of the solidarity,
and thanking you in advance for your contribution!
Quote of the day:
“The end of extreme poverty is at hand, within our
generation, but only if we grasp the historic opportunity in
front of us”
Jeffrey Sachs