MALI: A FAMILY IN MALI STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE ON THE REGIONAL AVERAGE INCOME OF A DOLLAR A DAY
Record ID:
647753
MALI: A FAMILY IN MALI STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE ON THE REGIONAL AVERAGE INCOME OF A DOLLAR A DAY
- Title: MALI: A FAMILY IN MALI STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE ON THE REGIONAL AVERAGE INCOME OF A DOLLAR A DAY
- Date: 30th June 2005
- Summary: (W3) VARIOUS LOCATIONS (FILE) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS IMAGES OF AFRICA (6 SHOTS) 0.24 (W3) GRAPHIC 2. GRAPHIC SHOWING G8 AVERAGE INCOME 0.30 3. GRAPHIC SHOWING AFRICA AVERAGE INCOME 0.32 4. GRAPHIC SHOWING AFRICA, AND ANNUAL INCOME PER PERSON IN MALI LESS THAN $1 A DAY 0.41 (W3) BAMAKO, MALI (RECENT) (REUTERS) 5. SV PAUL DIARRA SEATED INSIDE HOUSE HOLDING NEPHEW (SOUNDBITE) (French) "I take care of six children. Four of them are orphans...both parents are dead. They are my nephews and they live here with me." 0.50 6. CLOSE OF NEPHEW SEATED NEXT TO DIARRA 0.54 7. SV DIARRA'S WIFE SADIOU LEAVING HOUSE AS DIARRA PLAYS WITH NEPHEW 1.07 8. SLV DIARRA WITH NEPHEW RIDING A SCOOTER IN NEIGHBOURHOOD 1.22 9. DIARRA GOING UPSTAIRS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD HOLDING NEPHEW'S HAND (SOUNDBITE) (French) "I am very happy. This neighbourhood is very well planned and new houses are coming up everywhere. But the rent is really quite expensive, its seventy dollars a month not including water and electricity" (2 SHOTS) 1.42 10. DIARRA'S WIFE SORTING OUT RICE FOR COOKING 1.44 11. CU COOKING CONSUMABLES ON PLATE 1.47 12. DIARRA'S WIFE, SADIOU EXPLAINING PRICES OF FOOD AS SHE PREPARES FOOD (SOUNDBITE) (French) "I spend sixty dollars a month on consumables. On top of that, he pays for cereals. He buys them in sacks. A sack of rice used to cost twenty seven dollars but now it's gone up to thirty. That's for fifty kilos." 1.50 13. DIARRA'S WIFE, SADIOU, SORTING FLOOR IN BOWL (3 SHOTS) 2.00 14. DIARRA'S WIFE, SADIOU PUTTING FLOOR IN COOKING POT 2.05 15. DIARRA'S WIFE, SADIOU STIRRING FOOD IN POT (2 SHOTS) 2.13 16. MCU (French) PAUL DIARRA SPEAKING WHILE SEATED AT HOME: "I really wanted to her to get a job but my problem is if she does a job that's not very well paid, then I don't see the point of her working." 2.23 17. DIARRA AND HIS ORPHANED NEPHEWS SHARING MEAL 2.26 18. CLOSE OF HANDS AS THEY SCOOP FOOD FROM PLATE 2.28 19. CU ONE OF DIARRA'S NEPHEWS EATING 2.31 20. MCU (French) BETRAND KEITA, PAUL DIARRA'S ORPHANED NEPHEW SPEAKING IN THE DIARRA HOME: "I ask myself how people make ends meet. Like at university, we have to pay for the teaching materials needed for class. You really need someone behind you who can pay all that. Then you also need money for transport to put petrol in your moped.. and all those things." 2.46 21. SLV PEOPLE RIDING SCOOTERS IN THE STREET 2.53 22. SLV WOMAN WITH CHILD BEHIND HER, RIDING ON SCOOTER 2.58 23. SLV/SV DIARRA STARTING HIS SCOOTER/DIARRA GOING TO WORK ON HIS SCOOTER/VOICE OVER OF DIARRA (French) PAUL DIARRA: "I do a little bit of extra work, I go on house calls to give medical care. it earns me some extra money and enables me to make ends meet." (3 SHOTS) 3.26 24. SV DIARRA RELATIVES AND GUESTS INSIDE HOUSE SHARING DRINKS 3.28 25. SV/CU DRINKS SERVED TO VISITORS (2 SHOTS) 3.33 26. SV DIARRA FRIENDS IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT AFRICA (2 SHOTS) 3.38 27. MCU (French) IBRAHIM SIDIBE, FAMILY FRIEND, SPEAKING DURING DISCUSSION AT DIARRA'S HOME: "If Europe really wants to help develop Africa , then what it should do is to help develop certain things .. like our industrial and working culture. That way, little by little, Africans would start taking control themselves" 3.55 28. MCU (French) BERTRAND KEITA, PAUL DIARRA'S NEPHEW, SPEAKING DURING DISCUSSION AT DIARRA'S HOME: " The main cause of corruption in Mali is poverty. You have to accept that people are poor. So if you take someone who is poor , or who comes form a poor family , if he's elected mayor or even a deputy , his first aim will be to get rich. He'll want to fill his pockets" 4.17 29. MCU (French) IBRAHIM SIDIBE, FAMILY FRIEND, SPEAKING AT DIARRA'S HOME: "It's a long term- battle, which will need... I wouldn't say brain washing but a total of re-examination of our values. Because I think our values today are the reason why corruption is so bad." 4.37 30. SV FRIENDS AND RELATIVES INSIDE HOUSE LAUGHING 4.40 Initials FOR VOICED PACKAGE SEE TAPE 10700 T/C 15.54.42-15.59.23 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 15th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VARIOUS AND BAMAKO, MALI
- Country: Mali
- Reuters ID: LVA1O6POH62MN5QYG2GD7RHYVO2E
- Story Text: A family in Mali struggles to survive on the
regional average income of a dollar a day.
The Diarra's are an extended family living together
in Mali's capital Bamako. In many ways typical of a family
from West Africa, they each live on an income of a dollar a
day, each.
The average income for West and Central Africa is less
than a dollar a day, but in Mali the Diarra family might be
considered to have a lifestyle typical of an urban family
in that country.
Paul Diarra, as the only fully employed adult, provides
for his wife and six children, two of them his own.
Diarra works as a nurse. He and his wife Sadiou look
after their own two children, as well as his four nephews,
on 2800 dollars a year. That's a dollar a day for each
person in the family. But while life is a struggle, Diarra
is remains positive.
Diarra's wife Sadiou explains that prices for food have
been going up, putting them under further financial
pressure.
"I spend 60 dollars a month on consumables. On top of
that, he pays for cereals. He buys them in sacks. A sack of
rice used to cost 27 dollars but now it's gone up to 30.
That's for 50 kilos."
Diarra says its not worth Sadiou looking for a job as
the money she would make would not enough to improve their
lifestyle.
Paul's orphaned nephew Bertrand, now at university, is
aware of the burden of the extra costs.
"I ask myself how people make ends meet. Like at
university, we have to pay for the teaching materials
needed for class. You really need someone behind you who
can pay all that. Then you also need money for transport
to put petrol in your moped and all those things," he
explains.
When they can afford it, people in Bamakou get around
on scooters. The Diarra family is no exception. They have
a scooter too, which Paul Diarra uses to get to private
patients to earn some extra cash.
That extra cash ensures that there is always something
to eat and drink if friends happen to drop in.
The discussions that ensue often touch on topics that
include the issue of how the outside world sees Africa, as
well as local problems like corruption.
The Diarra family see it as an uphill struggle to right
Africa's woes, but they are are sure that maintaining a
positive attitude is crucial to bringing hope to Africa.
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