GRADEM was created in 2009 and recognised by the State of Mali on 29 June 2010. It aims to contribute to the strengthening of a more protective environment for children’s rights in general and girls’ rights in particular. The idea for creating the organisation stems from people who came from Catholic and evangelical movements and youth associations in working-class neighbourhoods and who worked for the protection of children in distress and in conflict with the law. They developed prevention actions in rural and urban areas on early exodus and its consequences. GRADEM began by providing training in computer skills to children and young people who come from the popular neighbourhood of Sabalibougou and the surrounding schools. The first youth who were trained became trainers for others and so on. Next came the support for young female domestic workers who were victims of abuse, exploitation, and often came into conflict with the law for child murder. Hence the opening by GRADEM of a protection centre for young girls in distress.

SOLI-AM: Solidarité en Faveur des Aide-Ménagères” – SOLI-AM, is an association legalised by the receipt n° 0348/ MATCL-DNI, dated 18 June 2004. Since 2004, SOLI-AM has been the implementing agency for the Projet d’Encadrement et de Formation des Aide-Ménagères / Supervising and Training of domestic workers.

The Malian Coalition for the Rights of the Child (COMADE) is an umbrella organisation in Mali consisting of 58 organisations working on children’s issues. COMADE aims to promote and defend the rights of the child.

The project consists of capacity building for 30 young female domestic workers on female empowerment: speaking in public, leadership, self-confidence, advocacy etc. The mobilisation of more than 1500 young female domestic workers who will be informed and sensitised on labour law and the issues at stake for the improvement of their working and living conditions.

Among the young girls trained, the best of them will be the “ambassadors” of the voiceless, in order to be the actors of their development, and therefore be able to speak easily in public, to intervene in such a way as to ensure that their message is concise and forceful, to develop their self-confidence and their ability to adapt to the audience; to communicate with clarity and conviction.

These capacities are supported by the synergy of child labour protection actors in a network and by the mobilization of civil society to influence decision-makers in order to improve measures for the protection of the rights of children in the worst forms of child Labour, as well as popularize other lessons learned.