Our Publications & Scientific Studies
Because effective action on the ground is built on a rigorous understanding of local realities, the Réseau EnfanceAfrique.org is committed to producing and sharing knowledge. Here you will find our research work, surveys, and scientific contributions designed to guide child protection policies and maximize the impact of our joint interventions.
Research Rooted in the Field
All our publications are the result of years of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Mali and West Africa. They are based on rigorous methods — participant observation, in-depth interviews, life stories, focus groups — and have been reviewed by independent scientific committees prior to publication. They now constitute the most comprehensive documentary base available in French on child fostering, street children, and child protection in Mali.
Free and Open Access for All
In line with our values of accessibility and accountability, all our publications are available for free download. They are also accessible on major international academic platforms. We firmly believe that knowledge produced on childhood in West Africa should belong to everyone — families, educators, NGOs, policymakers, and researchers.
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Indexed Scientific Publications
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Different Scientific Journals
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Open Access — freely downloadable
Our Scientific Publications
The following publications were produced as part of the doctoral and post-doctoral research of Dr Drahmane Fondo, an anthropologist holding a PhD in Ethnology from Université Côte d'Azur (France) and Associate Researcher at LIRCES (UPR 3159). They cover the Réseau EnfanceAfrique.org's core themes: child fostering, street children, child protection, legal pluralism, and social anthropology in Mali and West Africa.
Fostering and Child Mobility
Child fostering — the practice by which a child is entrusted by their biological family to a host family for educational, economic, or social reasons — constitutes the guiding thread of our research. Our work documents its forms, cultural logics, contemporary transformations, and its links to the phenomenon of street children in Mali and West Africa. This body of research, unique in the French language, is directly usable by child protection actors to design culturally adapted interventions.
Legal Pluralism and Child Protection
Our research explores the coexistence and interaction between formal law and customary law in regulating fostering practices and child protection. Drawing on the emblematic example of the 2011 Code of Persons and the Family, our work shows how customary and religious actors play a decisive role in the application of formal legal norms, and why their engagement is essential to any effective protection policy.
These publications are the result of several years of fieldwork and scientific rigor. They are available to you — freely and openly, so that knowledge may serve the cause of childhood.
Articles scientifiques à comité de lecture (2025 – 2026)
– FONDO, D. (2026). "The Persistence of Tradition in the Face of Modern Law in Mali: The Roles of Customary and Religious Actors in Social Regulation Mechanisms". Cahier des Jeunes Chercheurs, 2.». [Official Publication — LIRCES] [Download PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2026). « L’enfant à naître en Afrique : croyances, cultures et représentations sociales ». Cahier des Jeunes Chercheurs, 2.».[Official Publication — LIRCES] [Télécharger le PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2025). « Education, Fostering, and Child Circulation in West Africa ». Revue Kurukan Fuga, vol. 4, n°15, pp. 558-574. [Download PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2025). « Street Children and Life on the Street: A Widespread Social Phenomenon in Africa ». Revue Les Tisons, n°3, pp. 357-370. [Download PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2025). « Protection and Care of the Child in Mali: State and Contracted Services ». Journal International des Sachants, 1(3), pp. 976-996. [Download PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2025). « Private Child Protection Structures in Mali: The Role of NGOs ». Annales de l'Université de Moundou, vol. 12(3), pp. 301-322. [Download PDF]
– FONDO, D. (2025). « Mapping the Bambara, Dogon, Malinké, Fulani, Sarakolé, Sonrai, and Tuareg Ethnic Groups of Mali: Territorial and Anthropo-Sociocultural Anchoring ». Revue Kurukan Fuga, vol. 4, n°15, pp. 1-15. [Download PDF]
Popular Science Articles (2026)
– FONDO, D. (2026). « Lutte contre la mendicité au Mali : derrière la rue, six parcours d’enfants à cartographier ». The Conversation Africa. DOI: 10.64628/AAJ.7eq4wcjy5 [Lire l’article ici]
– FONDO, D. (2026). "Street Children in West Africa: What Eight Years of Fieldwork Reveal". The Conversation Africa. DOI: 10.64628/AAJ.sm3jq46nh [Republished by Science et Société — Université Côte d'Azur] [Read the article here]
– FONDO, D. (2026). "Protecting Children on the Move in Mali: The Blind Spot in Current Measures". The Conversation France. DOI: 10.64628/AAK.ujc4mdjj9 [Republished by the Newsroom — Université Côte d'Azur] [Read the article here]
– NDIAYE, A. (2026). "Street children: in Mali as in Senegal, the rupture begins the day the child is entrusted". Africa7 Média, September 21, 2026. Analysis based on the work of Drahmane Fondo (The Conversation, PhD thesis, Université Côte d'Azur). [Read the full analysis]