Spanish military in Mali cooperates with an educational institution for women

• Members of the Spanish CIMIC team attend the inauguration of a bakery workshop held at the Congregation of Immaculate's Mary home in Bamako

The Civil-Military Cooperation team (CIMIC) of the Spanish contingent deployed to the EUTM Mali mission is cooperating with the creation of a pastry workshop in the training centre run by the Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Bamako. Staff from this team attended the inauguration of the workshop this week together with the Spanish ambassador to Mali, José Hornero Gómez.

The funds for the project were donated by Spanish workers of Santander Bank and the equipment for baking was donated by the Italian NGO 'ENGIM Internazionale'.

The centre has 98 young inmates who live and get a three-year education and training, enabling them to work successfully in different sectors such as seamstress, baker and hairdresser, among others. In addition, 50 plus pupils from a next-door school also come to the centre to eat.

The centre is run by five sisters of the congregation with the help of workers, monitors and teachers. In addition, given the good results obtained over a long period of time, the waiting list for access to the training centre is around 2,000 young women.

The centre depends on donations received from Spain and other sources, as the students in many cases do not have the economic resources to even pay for the food they eat.

The mood in the centre is joyful and hard-working and the efforts made by the centre for women's future are remarkable.