Sponsor a child in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is home to an estimated 16 million, who predominantly belong to the Mossi, Fulani, Lobi or Bobo groups. The country is frequently hit by droughts which have a strong impact on the living conditions of tens of thousands of Burkinabe.

Like most other Sub-Saharan countries, Burkina Faso continues to experience very difficult economic conditions. Around 60 per cent of the population live in poverty and nearly 80 per cent are without a job. In spite of economic growth, high levels of poverty have in fact intensified in some areas of the country. Rural areas are more affected by extreme poverty than Burkina Faso's urban centres. The so-called "rural poor" amount to six million. Employment is often limited to the informal sector, which accounts for a vast proportion of jobs available.

In 2009, massive flooding forced thousands of Burkinabe to leave their homes. More than 50,000 people lost everything in the floods were living in tents and shacks across the capital. Hundreds of schools and a number of hospitals were destroyed by the floods. Aid organisations provided tents, medical equipment and water purification tablets in order to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases.

In rural areas, only six per cent of the population have access to proper sanitation facilities. This partially explains the high rate of major infectious diseases such as bacterial diarrhoea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever. At a national prevalence rate of 1.2 per cent, HIV is also a major public health concern. Although the government has included the problem in its general development plan and poverty reduction strategy, thousands of people affected by the virus remain without access to anti-retroviral therapy. However, HIV testing and counselling facilities do exist and efforts to fight the epidemic have been increased. As for now, 17,000 children aged 0 to 14 are HIV-positive. At 53.7 years, life expectancy is very low.

 

770,000 children in Burkina Faso are growing up without parental care. Thousands are orphaned by AIDS, and many more have been abandoned by their parents due to their precarious economic situation. Public health facilities do not exist or are in a terrible condition. At 90.8 per 1,000 live births, Burkina Faso's infant mortality rate is high and a large number of births are not attended by medical personnel.

 

The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS also exacerbates child labour. As households lose their most productive members, the family income declines, much of it is spent on medical assistance and medication, so children are made to contribute financially. This often involves hazardous activities and sometimes even commercial sex work.

Thousands of young girls in Burkina Faso continue to suffer female genital mutilation (FGM). The operation is commonly carried out by traditional practitioners, mostly without anaesthetics or antiseptics. These women are significantly more likely to have problems during childbirth.

Access to schooling remains difficult in Burkina Faso, particularly in rural areas where the primary school attendance rate is low at only 25 per cent. Only a little more than a quarter of the population knows how to read and write.

 

 

 

 

(available in French)