Update on our work in Burkina Faso

Epicenter strategy: SPIA work

THP-Burkina Faso now has nine epicenters and one sub-epicenter, and is working in 1,30l villages with total population of approximately of 500,000.

Epicenter committee at the new Yéguéresso epicenter

The epicenter strategy of our SPIA methodology continues to make an enormous impact on both the local and national governments in Burkina. They all recognize that through this strategy, THP-Burkina has succeeded in mobilizing the grassroots populations of the epicenters to create a common front and launch together their strategic actions against hunger and poverty. With this methodology, THP-Burkina, like the other THP offices in Africa, provides our partners with access to technology, training, education (especially adult literacy), health and credit for increased and improved food production and income generating activities that support and motivate the grassroots to take decisive actions in their commitment to end hunger and poverty.

Vision, Commitment and Action workshop: Animator training

During the third quarter of 2004, the VCA workshops organized by THP-Burkina reached almost 1,000 people, 2/3 of which were women. And, during this same period, over 100 new Animators and 20 Trainers of Trainees (TOT) began volunteering for their communities.  So far, since the inception of THP-Burkina, some 900 trained Animators are working closely with the rural populations to empower them to be self-reliant.

(Right: participant at the VCAW)

Catalytic projects

·        Increased Food Production and Food Security

As a Sahelian country, Burkina Faso’s major problem is the insufficient rains resulting in shortages of water for agricultural irrigation. As a result, Burkina Faso experiences a perpetual food shortage. In addition to this permanent problem, hundreds of thousands of Burkina nationals were expelled from Cote d’Ivoire and are now refugees in their own country as a result of conflict and instability in neighboring Cote d’Ivoire. This influx of returnees has increased the pressure on households that were already poor and food insecure, particularly in rural areas.  To fight this increased food insecurity in the country, THP-Burkina Faso continues to mobilize our rural partners into productive groups of men and women to work together on common land in each epicenter to increase and diversify their food production.  Part of the surplus is stored in the food banks and the rest is sold in the market.

Income-generating project at Sandogo epicenter.

• Food Bank

Food Banks are one of the most effective ways to protect the population from chronic food insecurity.  For this reason, THP-Burkina has created a food bank in each epicenter with the objective of available food to the villagers all year around. A product of common efforts, each food bank is managed by a committee of the epicenter and is used to store the food produced in the communal gardens by the entire population of the epicenter. THP-Burkina has reported that in the next few years, our partners will produce enough grains, such as maize, millet and sorghum, to store enough to be able to guarantee access to food at all times during the year.

During this third quarter, in spite of the difficult situation created by the situation in Cote d’Ivoire, THP-Burkina has reported that all the food banks in the nine epicenters are full of grain and that everyone will have access to the food during the coming “lean” season, when there is usually a shortage of food.

In addition, THP-Burkina is continuing to support income generating activities, especially for women, to support them in their efforts to generate income and savings for their families.

• Rural Banks

In addition to the two Rural Banks recognized by the government of Burkina Faso in the two epicenters of Nagréongo and Zincko, other epicenters are poised to have their own “rural banks” in 2005. So far theses rural banks are functioning very well under the leadership of the women of the epicenters and they are providing a very good example of leadership to the women of the other epicenters.  These banks are recognized as official financial institutions under the supervision of the government.  They operate as rural banks open to the whole population, men and women, and serve all the villages in the epicenters.

The credit program - which leads to the creation of the rural banks - is now operating in all nine epicenters in Burkina Faso.  THP-Burkina plans to assist the population in each epicenter to establish their own rural banks within five years to enable our partners to have access to credit on a permanent basis.  In this way, the necessary capital to create and expand micro-enterprises, such as grain milling, oil pressing, rice husking, and tie-dying of cloth, will be accessible and available at the lowest possible cost.

·        Literacy

Because literacy is such an important tool for the end of hunger and poverty, THP-Burkina Faso has expanded its functional adult literacy program to a total of 30 centers in the nine epicenters where over 3,500 people, men and women, are taking literacy classes in their local languages. This program is contributing enormously to the empowerment of our partners.

• Health and Hygiene

The health and hygiene program is carried out in the Heath Clinics in each of the nine epicenters. This program continues to have a significant impact on the health of the population, especially women and children.  THP-Burkina continues to train mid-wives to work in the epicenters and other villages. The midwives have helped many women to safely deliver their babies; and they also provide the mothers with useful training in family planning, child nutrition and hygiene. THP-Burkina ensures that in each epicenter, the local government is providing for a professional medical officer for medical services to the population.  Pharmacies attached to the clinics are supplied by the local government with the basic drugs needed to combat the most prevalent diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, meningitis and typhoid.

One of the most essential needs for helping the population to have good hygiene, especially to prevent water-borne diseases, is to provide safe drinking water. THP-Burkina has worked very closely with the local government and with our partners in ensuring safe drinking water in each epicenter.

 

• HIV/AIDS Program

This year, THP-Burkina has continued its HIV/AIDS training program in earnest to educate the population of all the nine epicenters and one sub-epicenter, including local government officials, on the program of “HIV/AIDS & Gender Inequality.”

In each epicenter, THP-Burkina has trained dozens of specialized HIV/AIDS Animators who are using the Kampala “HIV/AIDS & Gender Inequality" workshop to educate our rural partners about the role of gender inequality as the driving force of the spread of HIV/AIDS. THP-Burkina reports on the major impact that this workshop has made in changing the behavior of our partners, particularly the males who are now accepting their responsibility to practice safe sex. As a result, the level of infections has dramatically dropped in all of our epicenters.