ECOS Mali · ECOS Burkina Faso

Educating, including and building resilient communities.

ECOS works in Mali and Burkina Faso to give children, young people and vulnerable communities opportunities to learn, become self-reliant and take civic action.

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About ECOS Sahel

ECOS Sahel is the shared portal of two sister associations, ECOS Mali and ECOS Burkina Faso. They were born from the same conviction, that education and social cohesion are the first levers of resilience in the Sahel, and they share one method: start from the needs communities express, train local facilitators, and build every action to last.

It began in 2002 in Heremankono (Baco Djicoroni, Bamako), with the "libraries under the mango trees": volunteers set up reading support in the shade of the trees, with no registration and no fees. The association took shape from 2004 around the children and young people of Baco Djicoroni, Kalabancoro and Sanankoroba.

ECOS Mali received official recognition on 12 July 2021 (registration N°0413/G-DB, Malian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation). The association then expanded into agropastoral training for young people in precarious situations and climate-change training.

The approach then spread to Burkina Faso: ECOS Burkina Faso, founded in Ouagadougou and formally recognised in 2024, draws on ECOS Mali's agropastoral know-how while building its own community-solidarity dynamic.

The two branches remain autonomous, each with its own board, partners and funding, but they share their tools, teaching materials and communications through this portal.

Proximity

Projects are designed and run by teams who live in the communities they serve.

Free access

Educational activities are open to every child, with no registration or income requirement.

Handover

Every action trains local facilitators able to carry it on without us: 10 climate trainers were already certified in 2024.

Transparency

Activity and financial reports are published every year in the Resources section.

In 2024, ECOS Mali spent 18,896,236 FCFA (+9.65% year-on-year), funded 64% by grants, 34% by donations and 2% by member dues. Full details are in the downloadable financial report below.