A YEAR IN
BURKINA FASO MOROCCO
SUMMARY REPORT
2010
ALGERIA
Food supplies are distributed to a community in south-western Burkina Faso
3
GOOD REASONS
OUR PRIORITIES
• Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world
• Working to provide access to drinking water and good sanitation
WESTERN SAHARA (OCCUPIED BY MOROCCO)
why Plan works in Burkina Faso
in Burkina Faso
• One child in five dies before reaching their fifth birthday
• Protecting children against the effects of HIV/AIDS
• Natural disasters, especially flooding, cause massive food shortages and health issues
• Working to make sure children are adequately protected from disasters
MAURITANIA
• Helping all children get a good education – particularly girls • Improving healthcare and preventing disease so more children survive the early years
‘I will put what I have heard into practice at home, and when I grow up, I will have my children vaccinated’ Niger
MALI
SENEGAL
BURKINA FASO Country Office Program Units
Schoolgirls accept their scholarship certificates eg Sen
Sanmatenga
BURKINA FASO
al
SIERRA LEONE
Bam
Namentenga
Ouagadougou
NIGER
Kourittenga Tenkodogo
Bobo-Dioulasso
Oti Volt a
Southwest
TOGO
BENIN
GHANA
Wh ite
one of the lowest GDP per i n capita incomes in the world,Ba approximately US$1200 p.a. Agriculture represents 32 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product and occupies 80 per cent of the working population.
Dori
COTE D'IVOIRE
Black Volta
Moore, Fulani and other local languages. Climate: Burkina Faso has a GUINEA primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons.igeIn N r the rainy season, the country receives between 600 and 900 mm of rainfall, and in the dry season, the Harmattan, a hot dry wind from the Sahara, blows.
er Economy: Burkina Faso Nig has
er
ia mb
Ga
Capital: Ouagadougou Population: 15.7 million Languages: French (official),
Nig
Burkina Faso Facts
NIGERIA
Lake Volta
Focus on:
child health and child survival One of Plan’s primary aims in Burkina Faso is to reduce the number of child deaths and illnesses. We emphasise immunisation for children under five, malaria prevention and the control of diseases that cause diarrhoea. We also work to boost mother and child health and family planning.
We promote better understanding of the nutrients children need and distribute food rations and vitamin supplements to fight malnourishment.
Children learning agricultural skills in a school garden
WELCOME TO THE FAIR It was a hot day before the rainy season and the village square was crowded with people from the surrounding countryside.
They had come to see what was going on at the Laafi Raaga: the Plan-supported community health fair. The rhythmic beats of goatskin drums carried in the air for miles around and when they reached the village, people could see a parade of women singing songs and dancing. The songs were not the usual folk songs. These singers were inviting their fellow villagers to think about serious issues. They sang in sweet voices but their songs were about keeping the local environment clean and thinking about the health of children. With young children balanced on their hips, women joined the numerous guests attending their first Laafi Raaga. The dancing and singing was then followed by a child giving a presentation on the importance of children’s health and education. The loudest applause was for a local drama troupe who performed a play on hygiene and sanitation. The play highlighted the consequences of not keeping the home clean, such as malaria, diarrhoea, and cholera from contaminated water. Then community leaders started to ask the crowd for their opinion on the topic.
‘Through Plan’s work, children and their families demonstrate a growing set of capacities and competencies that enable them to play an active role in society’ – Dr Mahamadou Tounkara, Plan’s Country Director in Burkina Faso
Show Business The Laafi Raaga is more than just a fun day out. The intention behind it is deadly serious. Typically, a young woman in her early twenties in Burkina Faso will give birth several times and have one or more of her children die. Most children under five die from diarrhea, malnutrition, malaria and measles – all of which are preventable, provided you know what steps to take. Yet until they attended the Laafi Raaga, many women here had not heard of vaccinating their children. The songs and dances, indicating how and where to get children vaccinated and how to avoid diseases, will help them to make a huge leap forward in caring for their children, with useful information on malaria, malnutrition, vaccination and the use of mosquito nets treated with insecticide now available to them. It is also a beneficial campaign for younger children. Twelve-year-old primary school student Marianne says: ‘I like the part on hygiene and sanitation. I will put what I have heard into practice at home, and when I grow up, I will have my children vaccinated.’ After the dancing and singing were over, awards were given to people who had set a good example on child and mother health, hygiene and sanitation. Community worker Claud believes the health fair is particularly successful in making the community feel responsible for its health: ‘We worked together and I have noticed in the people I worked with that they want to fight the diseases affecting their communities. The fair is evidence of that will.’ The Laafi Raaga has been a tremendous success, and it’s part of a wider Plan-backed program to improve child health in Burkina Faso. Our work includes a community health promotion campaign and education through health clubs. We train village health workers to diagnose and treat common childhood diseases in the community. Communities in Burkina Faso love an opportunity to come together and celebrate, and the Laafi Raaga has proved quite a hit. We hope harnessing that enthusiasm will have a massive long-term impact. Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons
Produced for Burkina Faso by Plan International Australia.
The Bigger Picture Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Burkina Faso. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Burkina Faso with this report but over the past year we also: • Trained 499 community health workers on HIV/AIDS and organised awareness activities for 17,537 people • Helped to build 431 family toilets and 60 school toilets, and equipped 61 boreholes with manual pumps • Significantly increased girls’ school attendance rate in 10 targeted provinces. 9282 girls were enrolled last year • Helped over 1500 families hit by flash flooding, supported by Plan sponsors who generously responded to an appeal Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Burkina Faso. Thank you for your involvement!
To learn more about Plan’s work in Burkina Faso visit plan.org.au/ourwork/westafrica/burkinafaso
‘I have noticed in the people I worked with that they want to fight the diseases affecting their communities. The fair is evidence of that will.’