Embrace Relief breaks ground on critical healthcare clinic in Mali

Embrace Relief is pleased to announce the construction of a new rural maternity and primary healthcare facility in Gouama–Tiefina, Mali, representing a critical investment in addressing the severe healthcare access challenges facing rural communities in West Africa.

The clinic will serve the population of Gouama–Tiefina, a farming village located approximately 300 kilometers from Bamako, Mali’s capital, as well as nearby surrounding communities. In this part of Mali, the need for an accessible, affordable healthcare facility is stark, as families – and particularly pregnant mothers-to-be – must overcome twin barriers of access and affordability to receive life-saving care.

In a developing country where more than 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, medicine and medical treatment are unaffordable for far too many families, especially in rural areas like Gouama-Tiefina. For families who can afford healthcare, access is limited; the nearest medical facility to Gouama-Tiefina requires a journey of up to 25 kilometers over poor roads with unreliable transportation. Together, these barriers contribute to devastating health outcomes: in 2025 alone, the area recorded 17 maternal deaths and 31 deaths among children under the age of five, underscoring the urgent need for accessible, high-quality care.

Once completed, Embrace Relief’s new facility will serve a population of more than 12,800 people and provide an integrated range of essential health services. These include maternal and newborn care such as prenatal consultations, safe and assisted deliveries, emergency obstetric services, and postnatal care. The center will also offer family planning support, helping to improve long-term health outcomes for women and families.

In addition to maternity services, the clinic will deliver general outpatient and primary care, including diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses such as malaria, respiratory infections, and waterborne diarrheal diseases. It will also provide basic emergency care, chronic disease management, and short-term patient observation. Specialized child health services will include growth monitoring, nutritional screening, and support for routine immunizations in collaboration with district health authorities.

As with all Embrace Relief projects, the Gouama-Tiefina facility is being designed with a strong emphasis on safety, hygiene, and sustainability. It will include a dedicated water well to ensure a reliable supply of clean water, as well as sanitation infrastructure and handwashing stations throughout the premises to support infection prevention and control. A solar power system will provide consistent, sustainable electricity, enabling uninterrupted medical services in an off-grid setting.

The health center will feature multiple functional units, including consultation and examination rooms, a delivery suite, prenatal and postnatal care rooms, a pharmacy, and dedicated spaces for patient observation and nursing care. An enclosed yard and secure entrance will ensure patient safety and privacy.

As part of the initiative, Embrace Relief’s local team, led by Dr. Bourama Diakite, will provide training for healthcare staff on key topics such as maternal health, hygiene, and disease prevention. Community education sessions will also be conducted to raise awareness and promote healthier practices among residents.

“Access to healthcare is a basic human right that should not depend on one’s income or geography,” said Dr. Diakite. “This facility will bring lifesaving services directly to communities that have long been underserved, and it will have a lasting impact on the health and well-being of thousands of people each year.”

Construction of the facility is ongoing, and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026. Once operational, the clinic is expected to significantly reduce preventable deaths and improve health outcomes in one of the region’s most vulnerable areas.

The Gouama-Tiefina Clinic is the newest addition to Embrace Relief’s Health program, which also includes a mobile cataract clinic that has provides hundreds of eye surgeries each month, as well as pop-up medical clinics throughout sub-Saharan Africa that serve thousands each year.

For more information, or to support this project, visit www.embracerelief.org.