Burkina Faso
COVID-19 Relief in Burkina Faso: Food & livelihood support
Bringing sustainable relief and economic security to families in Burkina Faso
Crisis Response
The Need
The first cases of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso caused widespread fear, confusion and concern. Along with the devastating impact of the disease, preventive measures implemented by the government such as lockdowns came with their own negative consequences, pushing many citizens into extreme poverty. UNICEF reports that 3.5 million people in Burkina Faso are currently dependent on humanitarian assistance. In addition to the pandemic, the nation faces constant instability and unrest as many civilians are being attacked or threatened by non-state armed groups.
Lockdowns and curfews meant that many people simply could not work anymore. Many of the families Compassion is serving in Burkina Faso are living in moderate to extreme poverty. Caregivers are generally day labourers, living hand to mouth under normal circumstances. During the pandemic, life was becoming unbearable. Caregivers could not work or earn income to provide for their families. Desperate for help, they began turning to their local churches for support with food and essential items.
Compassion’s church partners in Burkina Faso are faithfully serving some of the nation’s most vulnerable communities, where the impact of the pandemic has been severe. While they were doing their best to meet the immediate needs of children and families, the requests for help became overwhelming. Facing an unprecedented and desperate need, our partners knew they could not help their communities alone.
Our Response
Thanks to your generosity, Compassion was able to implement a significant and multi-faceted relief effort that reached 15,000 beneficiaries and their families from 146 centres in Burkina Faso—a total of 50,000 people!
The initial response was planned to include the provision of seeds and grains for caregivers. However, delays in funding meant that the sowing season had passed by already. Therefore, Compassion’s response plan was amended to include fertilizer distribution to help caregivers boost their crop production. Churches formed local clusters and committees and were able to secure quality fertilizer at a good price. A total of 1,155 caregivers were each provided with 25 kilograms of fertilizer to use on their farms.
Representatives from the frontline church partners formed area committees that were overseen by the partnership facilitator. These committees organized the procurement and distribution of emergency food packages, which reached 15,000 children and their families with enough food for two full months during the rainy season—when food is scarce as farmers prepare their land and sowing seed. The food packages helped families eat at least two meals per day, and caregivers were able to continue farming during this time. Local authorities were invited to attend food distribution activities, and Compassion’s National Office in Burkina Faso held an official launch of the intervention attended by members of the press and government representatives.
The final part of the intervention involved supporting caregivers in starting or restarting their businesses. Church partners selected 7,500 caregivers for this assistance, based on need. Professional educators in business management were hired to train caregivers in how to run their businesses in a sustainable way. Caregivers were provided with start-up funds and were encouraged to open savings accounts and regularly save a portion of their profits. As a result, thousands of small businesses have opened or reopened, and local markets are full of joyful beneficiaries.
Activities
Fertilizer: A total of 1,155 caregivers received 25 kilograms of organic fertilizer to boost crop production during the planting season.
Food kits: Families received food kits containing essential items like rice, corn and pasta to help them get through the lean season before harvest.
Small business recovery: In all, 7,500 caregivers were selected to receive support for their small businesses. Caregivers attended training sessions to learn about sustainable business management and the importance of maintaining good savings habits. Caregivers also received seed capital to start or restart their small businesses, such as market vendors, hair stylists, making and selling soap, selling dried fish and sheep rearing.
Your Gift Provides...
● Emergency food packages for 15,000 children and families for two months containing rice, corn, pasta, grain, etc.
● Food transportation from delivery points to beneficiaries’ homes
● Project committee work sessions
● Sanitary kits for 15,000 children and their families
● Fertilizer for 1,155 caregivers (25 kg each)
● Small business support for 7,500 caregivers, including:
○ Business training sessions
○ Seed capital
● Monitoring and reporting fees
ReportA message from a caregiver
Prior to this intervention, my tailoring business was not yielding a profit at all, despite my hard work and sacrifice. I could hardly make both ends meet, never mind saving. Also, my farm was not yielding enough food for our family’s needs.
When we were given the fertilizer, it was during the rainy season. I used the fertilizer and spread it on my farm. This had a good impact on my farm. It has developed well and yielded more crops than it did formerly. At harvest time, we harvested 25 per cent more crops than we had without fertilizer.
Thanks to the training in business management and funding I received, I was able to work well in my tailoring business and better manage my income. Now I make more of a profit and am able to save part of it. Thanks to the support I received through this intervention, my tailoring business will be yielding enough to shield me from financial poverty!
Through this intervention, I learned the importance of investing in agriculture. When one uses the right fertilizers and follows the technical advice provided, there can be a great harvest! I also learned that entrepreneurship is so great and powerful that it can make us financially self-sufficient.
I express my joy and gratefulness to the donors for the support that made it possible for us to get food, fertilizer for our farms and funding for businesses. These various supports were a lifeline to us during the hard time of COVID restrictions. Thank you so much! It’s my prayer that God will bless you abundantly and beyond imagination!
ReportA message from a pastor
This intervention has greatly contributed to improving the lives of the beneficiaries in many ways. The food distribution made it possible for families in need to have food at home and quench their hunger in the time of lockdown when they could not do any work or earn income. Next, the fertilizer distributed to the selected families of registered children helped them produce more food than usual—at least 0.5 times more—despite flooding in some areas. This contributed to improved food security in the homes of the beneficiaries after the harvest. Finally, the income-generating activities have been a great opportunity to restore hope to caregivers who were in desperate need to revive or start their business activities so they could help provide for their families.
This intervention has made it possible for the church to be more visible in the community through tangible actions. This contributed to enhancing the credibility of the church among caregivers and in the community. Indeed, people in the community speak well of the church. Many caregivers have testified that this was the very first time that they had spread fertilizer in their farms. All these things contribute to making the church a living testimony in the community!
This intervention has empowered the church to be able to organize to distribute relief to caregivers and their families at a time when almost everybody was helpless and no support was in view. It has also improved the relationship between beneficiary families and the church staff, as things were done with transparency.
We express our gratitude to you and pray that God would bless you as you have blessed others.
ReportThank you for your generosity
With your help, 50,000 people in Burkina Faso have been able to survive and thrive during this incredibly difficult time. Not only did families receive the essential items they needed to get through a period of desperate food scarcity during lockdown, but caregivers were also given the tools and training they needed to recover their businesses and their livelihoods.
The distribution of fertilizer has already had a noticeable impact, with some caregivers reporting up to a 50 per cent increase in their crop production, even despite flooding in some areas! This investment in local agriculture will ensure that families have enough to eat during the lean season leading up to the next harvest.
Caregivers who received business training and support are so grateful. Thanks to you, thousands of new businesses have launched and are doing well, giving families hope for the future. This intervention has empowered caregivers and given them the tools and knowledge they will need to continue supporting their families.
Churches are grateful, too. Facing such monumental needs in their communities has been daunting, but your support has truly made all the difference. Not only have churches been able to help thousands of families but they have also had the opportunity through this intervention to partner with other organizations and local governments, increasing the visibility and reputation of churches in their communities. As more people continue to hear about the work Compassion is doing in Jesus’ name, even more vulnerable children and families will be reached and lives transformed. Thank you for reaching out with the love of Christ!