A cooperative effort led by Dr. Claudius Vincenz & Dr. Beverly Strassmann from Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Diana Strassmann, Dr. Anne Chao, & Dr. Kimberly Hoang from Houston, Texas; Hands Across the Water (www.hatw.org) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Mr. Anagaly Ogobara Dolo (tellemvoyages.com) from Sevare, Mali.

1. Hunger in the Dogon of Mali
A cooperative effort led by Dr. Claudius Vincenz & Dr. Beverly Strassmann from Ann
Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Diana Strassmann, Dr. Anne Chao, & Dr. Kimberly Hoang
from Houston, Texas; Hands Across the Water (www.hatw.org) in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, and Mr. Anagaly Ogobara Dolo (tellemvoyages.com) from Sevare, Mali.
photo © Beverly Strassmann

2. Location
 Dogon country is
located in the semi-
arid thorn savannah
region of West Africa
known as the Sahel.
Dogon
Country
Map courtesy Nations Online Project

3. The Bandiagara Cliff:
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site.
 Dogon country is
situated along the
Bandiagara cliff.
 We are focusing our
food relief on twelve
villages that have a
relatively
sustainable
agricultural future
and low migration to
cities.
Photo: Beverly Strassmann

4. Women Dancing
photo © Claudius Vincenz

5. Subsistence
Millet Farming
 Onion Gardening
(for cash to buy
millet)
Both harvests failed
in 2011 leaving the A typical Dogon village photo © Claudius Vincenz
Dogon people
without food until the
next harvest in
October 2012.
2011 was the worst
harvest in nearly 30
Pearl Millet Crop
years.
Harvested Millet

6. Rain Dance
In 2011, the rains failed in most of the Sahel.
photo © Claudius Vincenz

7. The Children of
Dogon Country
 In some villages only
10% of children
attend school
 School quality is low
and parents must
buy school supplies Dogon Children
photo © Vincenz
Young girls playing under a granary roof.
A young mother with her children
photo (top) Claudius Vincenz

8. Child Malnutrition
 Children are at extreme risk for
malnutrition.
 Elderly widows are also at
great risk.
Young Dogon children
photo © Beverly Strassmann
photo © Claudius Vincenz

9. Challenges
photo © Claudius Vincenz
 Current aid efforts do not reach these remote villages.
 A war in Northern Mali involving the Tuareg ethnic group is
consuming preciously needed government resources and
decreasing revenues from tourism.
 Food prices are rapidly rising in response to high regional
demand. In one month, there may be no millet available for
purchase.

10. Dogon children dancing for rain.
photo © Claudius Vincenz

11. Food Distribution Plan
 Goals
 Contact millet traders
and shippers for bids
 Negotiate a final price
 Deliver food directly to the villages
by truck Photo © Beverly Strassmann
 Provide on site supervision of food distribution
 These measures ensure that the food will actually reach the people, with
no possibility for diversion or re-sale of the provisions

12. Estimated Food Need for 12 Villages
• 0.65 kg millet/person/day is needed assuming 2100
kcal/person/day with 80% of kcal coming from millet.
• Population size of the 12 villages = 10,256.
• Food needs to last 3 months or 90 days.
• Thus, 600 metric tonnes (1000 kg each) of millet are
needed.
• At 20 metric tonnes per truck, this comes to 30 trucks.

13. Monitoring and Evaluation
 We will monitor the height and weight of children in one
of the villages.
 Measurements will take place before and after the
hunger season, permitting evaluation of the success of
the food relief effort.
 A final report will be prepared for donors.

14. Estimated Food Costs
• A 1 0 0 kg s a c k o f m i l l e t c o s t s 25 , 0 0 0 C FA .
• O n e t r u c k h o l d s 20 , 0 0 0 kg .
• E a c h t r u c k l o a d c o s t s 5 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 C FA
( i n c l u d e s d e l i v e r y t o d e s t i n a t i o n)
• E x c h a n g e R a t e i s 4 9 0 C FA p e r $
• E a c h t r u c k l o a d c o s t s $ 1 0 , 20 4 + $ 4 2 w i r i n g
fee
• TOTA L C O S T / T R U C K = $ 1 0 , 2 4 6

15. Funding Ledger
 Funds raised so far = $160,000
 Cost of 30 trucks @ $10,246 / truck = $307,380
 Trucks needed per village (average) ~ 2.5
 Villages covered so far: 6 ¼
 Amount needed to help 5 ¾ additional villages: $147,380
 Cost/Village: $25,615
 Cost/Truck: $10,246
 Cost/Person for 3 months: $33 (37¢/day)

16. Millet Distribution
March 03, 2012
Photos © Kimberly Hoang

17. photo © Claudius Vincenz

18. photo © Vincenz

19. photo © Kimberly Hoang

20. photo © Kimberly Hoang

21. photo ©Kimberly Hoang

22. Photo © Kimberly Hoang

23. Donations through Hands Across the Water
(donations are tax-deductible)
By Check
By Wire (fastest option) (funds via check may not reach Mali on time, in
which case they would be used for a foot-bridge in
Mali)
 Key Bank  Hands Across the Water
 ABA# 041001039  Attention: Dogon Project
 Swift code KeyBus33  2890 Carpenter Rd. Ste. 600
 Account # 222551000136 Hands Across  Ann Arbor, MI 48108 USA
The Water  www.hatw.org
 Bank address  Phone: 734 477 0135
 3848 South State Street
 Ann Arbor MI 48107

24. Direct Wires
(not tax deductible)
(all funds will be used for millet distribution to villages)
• CLAUDIUS VINCENZ
• ACCOUNT # 025075289101
• S W I F T: A F R I M L B A
• AB A: ML045
• WINDOW: 01003
• CLE RIB: 79
• A D D Y: B A N K O F M A L I , 4 1 8 AV E N U E D E L A
MARNE, BAM AKO, ML

25. Thank You!
Photo © Kimberly Hoang

26. U.S. Comparison
T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s f o o d s u p p l y i n 20 0 0
p r o v i d e d 3 , 8 0 0 kc a l p e r p e r s o n p e r d a y, o f
t h i s 1 , 1 0 0 kc a l w e r e l o s t ( s p o i l a g e , p l a t e
waste, cooking related losses etc.) and
d i e t a r y i n t a ke i n 20 0 0 w a s a b o u t 2 , 7 0 0 kc a l
p e r p e r s o n p e r d a y.
http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2