Emergency aid for 483 displaced students in Burkina Faso

Photo credit: Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, Action Education Africa

In Burkina Faso, in the face of an unprecedented crisis, Action Education is providing support to prevent the educational breakdown of pupils forced to move within the country. Following the request of the municipality of Piéla, located in the eastern region of the country, we are setting up an emergency aid fund to ensure the continuity of learning for 483 displaced pupils, including 216 girls.

 

Infographic on the security context in Burkina Faso

The humanitarian and security crisis in Burkina Faso: Millions of people in distress

Burkina Faso is facing the worst humanitarian and security crisis in its history. Nearly two million people are internally displaced, or one in ten. Of these, more than 80% are women and children. One in five, or 4.7 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Increasingly, non-state armed groups are destroying food supplies in this region of the world, which is among the most affected by famine, water shortages and climate change. Threats to humanitarian workers are also increasing.

 

 

Almost one in four schools closed

As of 31 March 2023, 24% from schools in Burkina Faso, or 6,334 schools were closed due to insecurity, depriving more than one million students of their right to education[1]. Armed groups hostile to the state-controlled education system burn and ransack schools, while threatening, kidnapping or murdering teachers.

In the Eastern region, where we have been active for many years, some of our programmes have seen up to 88% of closures of their intervention schools. Denied access to education due to conflict, an entire generation of children will grow up without the skills to fulfil their potential and contribute to their country's development.

Care for displaced pupils

One of the objectives of our EEPR project (Ensemble pour une Education Publique Résiliente face aux crises) is to contribute to the educational continuity of internally displaced pupils in the intervention zone. To this end, Action Education paid the school fees of 2,600 students, including 60% girls.

Talata Tindao, an internally displaced student, says: "The primary school next to our college was attacked and ransacked. We had to flee the commune of Dakiri for Mani, to ensure our safety. Action Education projects helped us with millet, maize and beans for the canteen, notebooks and pens to attend classes. This allowed us to continue our studies until the BEPC exam. Without the support of the projects, we would not have been able to continue our studies. Many thanks to Action Education".

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Distribution of food, school supplies and mats to students in the Eastern region (Gnagna province) - Credit: Action Education Burkina Faso

 

Emergency aid request for 483 students

The humanitarian situation in the eastern region of the country means that in some cases we have to manage emergency situations, in addition to our development activities. The commune of Piéla, located in the eastern region and considered safer, has a large number of internally displaced people from the surrounding provinces, including 1,385 pupils enrolled in primary or secondary school. Of these displaced pupils, 483, including 216 girls, are in immediate need of assistance to continue their education in a decent manner. Internally displaced students face a significantly higher drop-out rate than other studentsThis is the case for all the countries in the region, with poorer school results and lower success rates in examinations.

To provide them with much-needed support, Action Education is launching a special emergency fund to provide them with essential kits. These will consist of food aid (rice, beans, oil, flour, etc.), accommodation materials (mats, buckets, solar lighting, etc.), school supplies and hygiene kits. Psychosocial support will also be provided to students in need.

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