Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is situated in West Africa and is bordered to its north and west by Mali, to its east by Niger, to its south-east by Benin and to its south by Togo, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Whilst the northern region of the country is dry, the South is a high-rainfall area consisting of savannah forest which turns into sand and desert in the dry North. The Sahara desert is encroaching further and further south and threatens the already meagre farming area. In spite of structural adjustments in the macroeconomic and financial field since 1991, and a debt reduction initiative in 2000, Burkina Faso’s development stagnates and its trade-balance is in strong deficit. The consequence is widespread poverty reinforced by the overexploitation of the soil, the badly balanced diet of the population in the North and the centre of the country, increasing urbanization and urban unemployment. In particular it is the children, the unemployed and those without land-rights who suffer from the bad sanitary conditions and malnutrition.

Facts and figures:
Surface area: 274,000 km2
Population: 14 million
Capital: Ouagadougou
Urban population: 18%
Population growth: 3% per annum
Under 5 mortality: 197 per 1,000 live births
Infant mortality: 104 per 1,000 live births
Maternal mortality: 480 per 100,000 births
Fertility rate: 6.4 births per woman
Life expectancy: 49 years
Illiteracy rate women: 85%
Illiteracy rate men: 71%
Religion: 40% traditional religions, 50% Muslim, 10% Catholic,

A beginning full of hope for young mothers
Young mothers without income and living in poverty are taken care of: they receive medical care and loans in the form of micro-credit, as well as information on birth-control and disease prevention. More

Healthy development for children due to a balanced diet
Climatic conditions are difficult and lead to famines regularly every two years. A great part of the population depends on agriculture and livestock breeding. The situation regarding food, especially for women and children, is dissatisfying. Malnourishment is widespread and has become a problem of public health. More