Support Specialized Healthcare
Access to health care and medicine is complicated in Mali due to geography, extreme poverty and cultural traditions.
Medical Expeditions
We facilitate medical expeditions with third-party partners who donate their time and money to travel to Ouelessebougou. Expedition teams stay at our local OA compound which is a short walk away from the Ouelessebougou hospital. Medical expedition preparations are supported locally by the Utah staff, but it is our Malian team that is vital in the coordination of services on the ground. They have a long-standing relationship with the Ouelessebougou hospital, government, and community, and offer years of expertise in managing successful expeditions.
Partnerships
Our partnerships are established with the ambitious goal to improve health systems in Mali. We envision a time where everyone in the Ouelessebougou region will have access to quality and affordable healthcare. We offer decades of program expertise and local leadership with needed medical, financial, and management support to enhance services at the Ouelessebougou hospital.
We partner with volunteer health professionals from Utah who travel to Ouelessebougou on medical expeditions. Services have included ophthalmology, OB/GYN, dentistry, and general medicine. OA partners work side-by-side with the Ouelessebougou hospital medical staff to provide services that are either unavailable or too expensive for Malian villagers.
Our Utah expedition teams provide valuable mentorship, training and resources; the Malian health professionals offer a unique local perspective and expertise. Together they learn from each other to improve critically-need skills and services to better serve the people of Ouelessebougou.
Why is specialized healthcare important in Mali?
Mali lacks a centralized healthcare system which makes access to healthcare expensive and often out of reach for many Malians.
Tens of thousands of Malians in the Ouelessebougou region lack adequate access to primary healthcare. The situation is especially severe in the rural villages where we primarily work. For over 30 years, we have partnered with local Utah medical teams and Ouelessebougou health professionals to provide services that are either unavailable or too expensive in Mali.
Partner Spotlight
Utah Valley Eye Center
For a decade, Utah Valley Eye Center in Provo has partnered with the Alliance to transform the quality of life of Malians through improved vision. Under the direction of the clinic’s administrator, Mike Clayton, they organize and fund an annual expedition to Mali and work with the local medical team at the Ouelessebougou hospital. Their group includes UVEC’s medical professionals, partner physicians, and a volunteer support team.
Thousands of Malians have a brighter future because of the free services provided by our ophthalmology partners. From cataract surgeries to eye glass distributions, villagers are enjoying restored vision. In 2018, physician Dr. Matthew Parsons from Excel Eye Center performed the first ever corneal transplant in Mali and the team continues to provide this life-changing procedure free of charge.
The Alliance is extremely grateful to the dedicated volunteers who donate their time, resources and funding each year to support our health initiatives.
