Burkina Faso

Compassion Burkina Faso has been intentionally helping children through sponsorship as well as critical interventions. Some of these interventions include creating opportunities for access to education, health care, safe water and sanitation, income generation, skill training and seeing that centers have the facilities they need to serve children. The most urgent needs have included health challenges such as malaria, meningitis, hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. There is also a high rate of poverty-related diseases among registered children, such as skin diseases, diarrhea, dysentery and tooth decay.

The goal of the Burkina Faso Initiative is to equip these church-based centers by providing them with access to safe water and sanitation facilities, solar panels, playgrounds and more while building their capacity for healthy, holistic child development.

The second year of the Burkina Faso initiative forced a shift in focus as the COVID-19 pandemic swept around the world. Churches have been able to respond quickly to the changing needs of the communities they serve in a time of even greater need. They have brought lifesaving emergency relief to families affected by COVID-19 and its economic impact. And despite the temporary closure of Compassion’s child development centers and places of worship, they have been reaching out to families to offer spiritual and emotional support.

In the midst of these challenges, the original goals of the initiative were still able to move forward. Highlights include:

• Churches implementing Survival grew from 33 to 59
• Registered children grew from 85,665 to 100,601
• 16,153 youth are attending secondary school
• 14,500 children and their families gained access to safe water and sanitation
• $2 million was disbursed to meet urgent medical and protection needs of children