Donations for Timbuktu: drinking water for schools
Visitors from the twin city are currently visiting Chemnitz - reconstruction aid from the city honoured
Almost a year after the visit of the Lord Mayor of Timbuktu Hallé Ousmane, the city of Chemnitz is once again welcoming guests from the twin city. Dr Mohamed Diagayété and Abdourahamane Touré report on the current situation in Timbuktu and the country. The two Malians are staying in Chemnitz until Thursday.
Today, they both reported on the gradual reconstruction in the crisis-ridden region. According to them, the political situation is currently stable and public administration and infrastructure are beginning to function again. The guests also expressed their gratitude for the quick and uncomplicated help that Chemnitz and its citizens have provided to their partnership in the form of donations over the past year. These were used, for example, to build and repair sanitary and sewage facilities and the technology in the city's plundered town hall.
A new appeal for donations is now to benefit a project that aims to restore the drinking water and sanitation supply to 65 schools in Timbuktu and the northern Mali region and thus to 18,000 pupils. Citizens who wish to support the reconstruction project can pay their contribution into the City of Chemnitz's donation account:
IBAN DE20 8705 0000 3737 3700 00
BIC CHEKDE 81 XXX
Keyword: Timbuktu
Chemnitz has already initiated many aid projects in recent years: These included planting trees to prevent Timbuktu from silting up and providing materials for schools. The hospital was also supported with medical equipment and supplies as well as medicines.
The guests have been in Chemnitz for more than a week. Among other things, Dr Mohamed Diagayété is completing an internship in the Chemnitz City Library and City Archive. With the knowledge he has acquired, he wants to ensure that the rich cultural treasures, especially books and writings, in Timbuktu are properly cared for. He will also meet with the Rector of Chemnitz University of Technology, Prof Arnold van Zyl. Abdourahamane Touré is a technician and is in Chemnitz to learn more about the repair and restoration of solar systems in order to channel this knowledge directly into the reconstruction of Timbuktu. The two city leaders agreed on the exchange last year.