With a population of just over 20 000, Ménaka is the largest outpost in the Malian southeast frontier with Niger.Regional security is volatile and violence is present: armed groups attack and constrict routes between Ménaka and its nearest neighbouring localities, Anderamboukane and Ansongo.
As a result, people are displaced and on the move from the Ader Douchi hills to what is the nearest town with services, Ménaka.
They need safety and shelter—but they also need vaccines. In December 2022 Ménaka and its surroundings were included in a Malian vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
The vaccines are to be sent in by plane for delivery 1500 kilometres away. The journey starts with a close look in the capital, Bamako.Photo credit: WHO / Fatoumata DiabatéIt was only at the end of August 2021 that Mali’s National Immunisation Center, comprising three cold rooms and a dry store in the capital district in Bamako, got up and running near the city administration centers.