We are an association of volunteers, registered in France in 1999, who help provide care and education to abandoned, handicapped orphans in Bamako, Mali. Leo is the name of the very first orphan taken into the care of the association and his smile has become its emblem. Sadly, he died at the age of 26 years old in Bamako on the 28th July 2022.

Mali has very few resources to respond to the needs of handicapped orphans. To provide specific handicap support, the LEO Association works together with local personnel, respecting local culture and traditions, by subsidizing both therapeutic and educational needs:
• There are 4 educators, 1 physiotherapist, 1 psychiatrist.
• Day patient sessions 5 days a week of physiotherapy, psychomotricity and education provided by the Association pour Personnes à Besoins Spécifiques (APBS) – the Association for People with Special Needs.
• Leisure and cultural outings and family placements by the DenKaGneta Association.

Le Centre d’Accueil et de Placement Familial (CAPF), the Reception and Family Placement Centre, is the only state organisation dedicated to taking in abandoned children, housing them regardless of their handicap.

Their illnesses are varied: their handicaps are both physical and mental and are to a greater or lesser degree but are always incapacitating.
The number constantly increases with regular admissions but there are also deaths due to their fragility and the difficult sanitary environment. In Mali, 1 in 5 children die before their 5th year.

Improvement of the daily life for the abandoned handicapped orphans cannot happen without the involvement of the Malian supervisory authorities. They determine the type of intervention and the effectiveness of actions related to both abandonment and disability.

Since 1999, the generosity of sponsors and donors (individuals, associations and companies) have allowed us to prioritise health care and educational activities.

In France, Jean Paul Blachère Apt, Association Rencontre des Cultures Saignon, Association le Cœur au Mali Rodez, Malik Nejmi, Localgraphics Annecy, Johan Mus graphic artist, Transcopy Bédarrides, Plénitude Yoga Mormoiron, Law firm Denis & Voyant Avignon, Gestonline Salon de Provence.

In Bamako – Centre d’Accueil et de Placement Familial, Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille, Direction Nationale de la Promotion de l’Enfant et de la Famille, Association pour Personnes à Besoins Spécifiques, Association DenKaGneta, Santé Sud Mali.

Excluded from society, we want to give a future to these children as they grow. Thanks to all the goodwill, the handicapped orphans live a better life and receive care and education. Those who are able to express themselves are sensitive to their life improvements. For those who are most seriously handicapped, the LEO Association works to make their existence less difficult.