Burkina Faso

Our Work in Burkina Faso

The Hunger Project has been working in Burkina Faso since 1997 and is currently mobilizing community partners to end their own hunger and poverty. Through our integrated approach to rural development, the Epicenter Strategy, we work with community partners to successfully access the basic services needed to lead lives of self-reliance and achieve internationally agreed upon markers of success, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Currently, there are 10 self-reliant epicenters that reached over 222,000 people and 1 active work area with 37,394 people. 

Achieving Self-Reliance Through Holistic Strategies

We are actively engaged in enhancing food security measures in epicenters Vy and Yegueresso by implementing agriculture, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA projects) in partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We are increasing impact by supporting existing municipal structures to achieve self-reliance. We are leveraging our experience to strengthen and support these entities to improve their internal resource mobilization and develop tools for good governance. We are partnering with local civil society organizations to advocate for consistent allocation of resources to holistic actions aimed at eradicating hunger and poverty.

Improving Childhood Nutrition 

Our Right2Grow program, in collaboration with a consortium of partners spearheads gender-focussed, community-led efforts to combat childhood undernutrition across the Center-North, North and East regions of Burkina Faso. The partnership will ensure that civil society and government jointly address malnutrition particularly among children through gender-sensitive and inclusive manner. Trained THP volunteers conduct workshops on nutrition, agriculture and WASH. At the same time, we amplify the voices of community leaders through national campaigns to bring community-led methodologies to scale nationally.

Epicenter Microfinance Program

Our microfinance program plays a vital role in poverty reduction and economic self-sufficiency. By promoting gender equality and focusing on female small-holder farmers, we facilitate access to microfinance loans for diverse projects, including agriculture, food processing, handicrafts and livestock. This initiative provides an additional livelihood support system especially vital for communities impacted by violence, offering stability as they rebuild their lives post-displacement.

Cross-Border Collaboration with THP-Ghana

In partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), THP-Burkina Faso and THP-Ghana spearheaded a joint initiative to mobilize, sensitize and support cross-border communities in their journey to self-reliance. By fostering solidarity and social cohesion between Burkina Faso and Ghana communities, this initiative aims to develop an action plan for shared development projects, addressing basic needs and fostering conflict prevention. 

In 2023…

• 1,117 individuals were trained in financial services
• 1,029 individuals were trained in Vision, Committment and Action workshops
• 106 animators were trained in monitoring and evaluation/ research

History of Burkina Faso

Located in West Africa, Burkina Faso’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, with recent boosts in the economy due to increased gold exports. Considerable progress has been made in the education sector, with over 60% of girls and 55% of boys completing primary education. Despite strides in education, a significant portion of the population still engages in subsistence agriculture, facing challenges exacerbated by climate change, political instability, and terrorism.  

Political instability and terrorism have exacerbated food security challenges in Burkina Faso and hindered the nation’s attempts to address poverty throughout the country. Additionally the destructive effects of climate change put the livelihoods of the more than eighty percent of the population that rely on subsistence farming at risk. Burkina Faso gained independence from France in 1960, and has since navigated a path towards democracy amid periods of unrest.