The work of Terre des Hommes in BURKINA FASO

SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND WOMEN IN BURKINA FASO

In Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world where approximately 41.1% of the population lives below the poverty line, Terre des Hommes has been present since 2003.

Since 2019, armed attacks by Islamist groups have further exacerbated internal conflicts, leading to the displacement of over 1.7 million people in Burkina Faso, more than half of whom are children. Thousands of them are at serious risk of being recruited by armed groups or becoming victims of attacks, early marriages, genital mutilation, child labor, and sexual abuse. Due to insecurity and terrorist attacks, this school year has begun with 4,258 schools closed.

Terre des Hommes works in Burkina Faso to promote and protect the rights of boys and girls, to prevent all forms of abuse and violence, to support children in emergency situations, and to promote basic and maternal health along with primary, secondary, and vocational education for children, girls, and adolescents.

What does our support involve?

• We have established and supported 37 community centers to ensure the protection of boys and girls, also working on the reintegration of minors in conflict with the law into society, and we have worked to ensure education, healthcare, and psychosocial support for children forced to work in mines.
• We work in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to support the social integration and professionalization of minors in conflict with the law at the Center for Reintegration and Rehabilitation of Minors in Conflict with the Law in Bobo Dioulasso.
• We provide educational and healthcare assistance to the most vulnerable boys and girls, also distributing clothes and nutritious food.
• We work to make universal birth registration for boys and girls, especially for displaced children, to enable them to continue their studies and, above all, protect them from abuse and mistreatment.
• We promote activities to increase the civic participation of young people through youth clubs operating in 6 regions of the country, and supporting 10 local youth NGOs.
• We support and promote social cohesion by supporting 4 cultural centers in the country’s 4 main cities.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH SPONSORSHIP?

Through Sponsorship from Afar, we ensure a school path to guarantee a more dignified future and counteract the phenomenon of school dropout and the risk of juvenile delinquency. Thanks to Sponsorship from Afar:

• We distribute school kits and offer remedial courses to help students with learning difficulties obtain elementary and middle school certificates.
• We provide emergency health kits to support them from a health perspective and also distribute clothing to all children.
• We distribute dignity kits, containing sanitary and menstrual hygiene products for girls and young women.
• We ensure a school canteen in every school, providing a hot meal per day to children who live far from school and stay during the lunch break.
• Svolgiamo anche attività per insegnare alle ragazze la pratica della tintura e della tessitura, permettendogli di guadagnarsi da vivere ed emanciparsi.
• We also conduct activities to teach girls the practice of dyeing and weaving, enabling them to earn a living and become self-reliant.

These activities were carried out thanks to funding from the EUROPEAN UNION, UNICEF, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, the European Commission, the Luxembourg Cooperation, the Principality of Monaco Cooperation, and Canal Plus Burkina.