The Association d’Entraide et de Développement is a non-governmental organization (NGO), which was created as a result of the RuralWomen’s Development Project (FEDEV) affiliated with the Malian government through the Direction Nationale de la Formation et de l’Animation Rurale (DNFAR).

The FEDEV project was led by a Quaker service representative and a Malian co-director. This director workedwith female instructors who in turn worked with women’s groups at the grassroots level.
After Quaker withdrew from the FEDEV project, the structure was transformed into an NGO under Malian law under the name AED.
In order to improve its performance in achieving the expected results, AED has established a mission, objectives, and principles.
The main mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of women through the initiation of self-promotional actions.
The Association aims to :
– Strengthen women’s self-promotion capacities through training; Information – Education – Communication (IEC) and experience sharing;
– To improve women’s income through the initiation of income-generating activities;
– To lighten women’s workload through the introduction of improved technologies;
– Contribute to food security through the initiation of production activities;
– Contribute to the improvement of health through sanitation, IEC and support to social and health services;
– Participate in the protection of the environment through the implementation of actions to fight against soil degradation, reforestation, use of improved stoves;
– To contribute to the increase of the schooling rate of girls by supporting the sensitization and the creation of community schools;
– Participate in the rural women’s literacy movement;
– Participate in the strengthening of the decentralization and democratization process in Mali (training and IEC).
The present project emanates from the AED and Human Network Mali Consortium which proposes to remedy the low rate of representation of women in elective and nominative positions in the Segou region with a strong contribution at the national level through advocacy actions at the regional and national levels in accordance with the law N°2015-052 and its implementation decree This project will be implemented by the AED and Human Network Mali Consortium through the following women’s associations: Kéléya, Benkadi, Diaraton in the circle of Bla, the communes of Markala, Sébougou, Macina,An Ka doké in the commune of Pélégana and the association of people with disabilities of the urban commune of Ségou and Pélégana. It aims to bring women to a rate of at least 30% in elective positions during the various elections under preparation and in nominative positions; to bring people with disabilities to a rate of at least 2% in elective and nominative positions during the same elections. A platform of women in the Segou region will be set up and will berepresentative of all 8 circles in the region. The same applies to the establishment of a platform for people with disabilities. Aweb application willbe created to link women and people with disabilities with their national umbrella organizations for learning, communication, exchange and advocacy.