Jigiya

Jigiya, which means "support" or "help" in the local language of Bambara, is a group of more than 200 physically and developmentally disabled Malians-- both men and women-- from the Segou Region who have organized themselves in order to come together and provide encouragement, inspiration, and support to each other so that they can all improve the quality of their lives. The members of the association teach each other technical and business skills and share in the joy of music, dance, and laughter. The group has also pooled their resources together in order to provide small loans to members in need-- another way that they are improving lives and helping fellow disabled Malians.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mali
• Jigiya

[steveintj]

'Jigiya' is a group of people with disabilities in Mali, Africa. This is a short clip of them performing for Peace Corps in Mali in Sept 2007.

Jigiya means "support" or "help" in the local language of Bambara. They share music, dance, and laughter. With the help of Peace Corps Volunteer Stephen Andersen, Jigiya is now connected with the Self-Advocacy Assoc of New York State (SA), a group of similarly-disabled Americans. The two groups exchange regular communication, stories, and support.