Groupe d’Appui aux Programmes (GAP) is a Malian NGO and consultancy group founded by Violet Diallo in 1970. They have been Aflatoun’s partner since 2005 and implemented Aflatoun’s first pilot program, helping to revise and further contextualise the Aflatoun Curricula. In 2009 GAP helped to translate the Aflatoun Curricula into French. Other NGOs were mobilised to implement Aflatoun’s programmes. A significant one was Centre d’Appui à la Microfinance et au Développement (CAMIDE ), a microfinance institution in the region of Kayes.

More than 10.000 children in the region of Kayes and about 3.000 children in the Bamako district have benefited from Aflatoun’s programs ran by GAP and CAMIDE. Moreover, Mali was the first country in the region to host the first sub-Regional and Regional training for teachers and trainers.

Since GAP’s interest is primarily education and support of the most vulnerable in society, it initiated talks with a vast number of teachers and their associations and unions, forming a new association named  Association Malienne des Enseignants Aflatoun (AMEA). Today AMEA is a licensed association that focuses on training of teachers, addressing lack of pedagogical training and promoting the Aflatoun program among different teachers’ platforms such as syndicates and unions.

This initiative saw the light during time of the coup d’état in Mali and proved to be needed during turbulent times. In the absence of any directives from the Ministry of Education, the AMEA looked to the Aflatoun training material as a substitute for the insufficient training material and content available to teachers

AMEA and GAP recently shifted their geographical focus to rural and conflict stricken areas. Most of their interventions, although very limited, are planned to bring in at least a minimum support to provide children and teaches with a safe learning environment.

To this day, GAP is leading the implementation of Aflatoun programmes in Mali. The programme with Camide has witnessed a setback due to political unrest and lack of funding. GAP and AMEA are still working together to secure a series of events to train and engage more teachers.