Uncertainty and violence are once again dominating the news in Mali following a new offensive by rebel forces that has targeted strategic points across the country and once again highlighted the fragility of the nation and a crisis that has been dragging on for years. Insecurity, roadblocks, pressure on the capital and the fear felt by the population are affecting daily life and exacerbating the difficulties faced by thousands of families. Across the country, violence and instability have led to the closure of thousands of schools and left hundreds of thousands of children without access to education.

“Today, there is a sense of normality in daily life, even though some roads are still blocked to protect public buildings,” reported Genel Joseph, a volunteer with MISIONES SALESIANAS, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, in Mali, on Tuesday 5 May 2026. “Here in Bamako,” he continued, “there was an attack, but there is no occupation of the territory or of the towns.” His account helps to paint a picture of the reality on the ground: concern, but also the continuity of daily life.

In this context, the Salesians in Mali continue to support the local population, and educational work continues in their three houses: in Bamako, Sikasso and Touba. “Our work focuses in particular on the most vulnerable children, girls, adolescents and young people, in the belief that education and formation are a concrete response to violence, poverty and a lack of opportunities,” explain the Salesians in the country.

Education to build a culture of peace

In Touba, the Salesians have for years run literacy courses, workshops for technical formation, a sports centre, a secondary school and a boarding house for students from remote rural villages. The St John Bosco Secondary School welcomes more than 400 young people from 17 villages, many of whom are socially marginalised. “Previously, many students had to travel long distances to continue their education. The centre has given many young people the chance to continue their studies and to have a safe place where they can learn and grow,” explain the Salesians.

In Sikasso, the centre dedicated to Mary Help of Christians, established 45 years ago in 1981, is an educational oasis offering local youth a vocational school, the Salesian oratory–youth centre and a youth shelter.

Finally, in Bamako, the Père Michel Vocational Formation Centre provides the opportunity for over 650 young people to study, and forms part of a project funded by the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation

(AECID) to contribute to the social and labour market integration of young Malians through quality vocational formation, with an approach aimed at reducing gender inequalities and promoting peace-building and access to employment. Mali is facing a complex situation, but the Salesians are not leaving. They remain alongside the communities, supporting schools and workshops, accompanying families and offering things that are indispensable in times of uncertainty: hope, education and opportunities to build peace.

Source: Misiones Salesianas