Medical and psychosocial support for displaced persons in Ansongo, Mali

Since December 2023, Première Urgence Internationale has been working with displaced persons at the Cap d’Ansongo site to meet their urgent needs in the health and psychosocial support sectors.

^{Première Urgence Internationale mobile clinic doctor vaccinates a displaced woman, © Studio 360 – Mali}

While chronic insecurity linked to the activism of armed groups is one of the main concerns in the Gao region, many families are forced to flee their villages. They are finding refuge in sites for displaced persons on the outskirts of the town of Ansongo, where living conditions are extremely precarious, due in particular to limited access to healthcare and the prevalence of disease.

More than 580 people have taken refuge on the Cap d’Ansongo site after fleeing the village of Tabango at the end of 2023. Ibrahim, a 57-year-old father, is one of these displaced persons, and says: “I fled to Ansongo with my family. We’ve lost everything since we left our village.

Mobile clinic gives hope to displaced families

Since December 2023, Première Urgence Internationale has been deploying a mobile clinic offering medical and nutritional services. Our team, consisting of a doctor, a midwife, a nurse and a community mobilizer, ensures free access to healthcare by holding consultations and distributing medicines to all patients.

^{A community mobilizer from Première Urgence Internationale’s mobile clinic talks to a displaced person at the Cap d’Ansongo site © Première Urgence Internationale}

Ibrahim and his wife fell ill after arriving in Ansongo. Thanks to Première Urgence Internationale’s mobile clinic, they were able to receive treatment.  “The doctor from the mobile clinic gave us a consultation. He then referred us to the nurse, who gave us some medicine,” they confide, before adding: ‘The Première Urgence Internationale team takes care of all the inhabitants of the site, whether men, women or children, free of charge.’

The importance of medical and psychosocial support in Mali

Given the extremely precarious situation of the displaced people gathered on this site, and their life histories marked by years of conflict and insecurity, the mobile clinic teams also include clinical psychologists who offer psychosocial support services.

After 6 months in operation, a total of 1,987 mobile clinic consultations have been carried out, and over 400 people have benefited from individual psychosocial support services.

These interventions are made possible thanks to the support of the Regional Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa.

Find out more about the mission’s activities in Mali.