Burkina Faso/Northern Region: New Project Launched to Assist Vulnerable Populations

Published on 18/03/2023 | La rédaction

Burkina Faso

The NGO, Solidarité développement inclusif (SOLIDEV) in collaboration with the Fédération burkinabè des associations pour la promotion des personnes handicapées (FEBAH) initiated the project "Food assistance, non-food items and specialized care (mental health and psychosocial care, cataract surgery, physical rehabilitation) for internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities in the northern region. The official launch of the project took place on Thursday, March 16, 2023 in Ouahigouya during a workshop organized for this purpose.

Since 2016, Burkina Faso has been experiencing an unprecedented complex security crisis due to terrorist attacks. This situation is causing population movements to other so-called safer areas. As of January 31, 2023, there were 251,976 internally displaced persons in the northern region. To help these vulnerable people, the NGO Solidarité développement inclusif (SOLIDEV) in collaboration with the Fédération burkinabè des associations pour la promotion des personnes handicapées (FEBAH) has initiated the project "Assistance alimentaire, articles non-nourriture et soins special care (mental health and psychosocial care, cataract surgery, physical rehabilitation for internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities in theThe official launch of the project took place in the morning of the first day of the month of October.

The official launch of the project took place on Thursday, March 16, 2023 in Ouahigouya during a workshop organized for this purpose. For the occasion, the administrative and technical authorities and the beneficiary communities of Ouahigouya, Gourcy and Yako, met in the meeting room of the Regional Council of the North to appropriate the food and humanitarian project.

The Secretary General of the Northern Region, Albert Zongo, chaired the meeting on behalf of the Governor. At the beginning of his speech, Mr. Zongo thanked the various actors for their effective participation, a sign of their willingness to be involved in the project. He then praised the national and international NGOs that are working to find a humanitarian response to the difficulties experienced by IDPs.

According to Wendyam Michel Vincent Ouédraogo, president of the board of directors of the national NGO Solidarité développement inclusif (SOLIDEV), this initiative is a continuation of two previous successful projects in the region. SOLIDEV intends to integrate a particularity, namely specialized care for the benefit of vulnerable people and host communities. According to him, specialized care includes psychosocial care, cataract surgery and physical rehabilitation. The integration of specialized care aims to support the efforts of the state to alleviate the suffering of internally displaced persons and host communities inherent in the dual security and humanitarian crisis.

For the representative of the Director of CBM, the project that SOLIDEV is implementing in collaboration with FEBAH is part of a larger program called "Grain of Hope, let's cultivate together a humanitarian response in Burkina Faso". He maintained that "the most pressing need is humanitarian assistance", but the need for the integration of specialized care should not be overlooked.

The project will also focus on cash transfer and the provision of food. It will last for two years. Ultimately, the project aims to reach 1,500 households of vulnerable people and people with disabilities in the three communes of the northern region, namely Ouahigouya, Gourcy and Yako.
The president of FEBAH, in his speech, appealed to the secretary general to advocate for people with disabilities in all humanitarian activities in the northern region. Mr. Zongo reassured that measures will be taken in this sense. The participants in the launch also welcomed the implementation of the project which will undoubtedly improve the difficult living conditions of the populations.

Source: lefaso.net/


Did you like this article? Share it ...

comments

Leave a comment

Your comment will be published after validation.