Our Partners

Together with four partners in 14 programs throughout Burkina Faso, CCFC Burkina Faso has transformed impoverished neighbourhoods into fully functioning sustainable ones. Our partners are locally registered experts in the area of international and community development, who are chosen through detailed pre-affiliation guidelines.

Through our partnership, we develop participatory programs that build a community's ability to create and manage sustainable improvements. We help community members gain the skills needed to think about and manage workable solutions for their problems, themselves. All CCFC projects are planned for and budgeted annually. The Country Office plays an oversight role and assists partner organizations to build and strengthen their capacities by providing direction, guidance and advice. It also plays a role in monitoring the project activities and assisting the partners in evaluating the impact of their programs.

• Number of partners: 4
• Number of programs: 14

Self Sustainability

Our experience in Burkina Faso has shown that our efforts are multiplied and are long lasting if we help others develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to reproduce the projects we help them start.

It is more sustainable and lasting to teach, encourage, and train people to do things for themselves. If a community invests in a project physically, emotionally and economically, they are more likely to appreciate and value it. Having local perspective and knowledge of the community incorporated into the process means that it is more likely to be culturally appropriate.

We help local communities in Burkina Faso to identify their needs, and then work with them to see what resources are available locally. As is often the case, there may be a lot of manpower in the communities we assist, but few materials and required skill sets. CCFC's approach is to allocate responsibility to the community for providing the land and labour, and we fund the materials.

Successes:

• 14 community relays on malaria, 15 relays on AIDS trained in our programs.
• 15 solidarity groups reinforced.
• 14 communities equipped with audio visual materials for sensitization (on various theme including AIDS, malaria, sexual mutilation).

Micro-Enterprise Development

In order to create a long-term cycle of self-reliance, families need sustainable ways to generate income. Initiatives like Micro-Enterprise Development (MED) provide lasting solutions to help the "poorest of the poor" learn to provide for themselves and jump-start the economy of their community.

MED programs encourage community members to work with Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) and our local partners to develop new marketable job skills. Community members purchase the materials they need to start and grow their income and reinvest back into their small businesses. Over 80% of MED recipients are women.

To be eligible, each MED recipient must join a self-help group to act as each other's guarantors. If one member does not pay, then the others are responsible for repayment. This structure has been shown to greatly limit default of MED loans and presents a highly successful repayment rate of over 90%.

Successes:

• $56,355.75 in MED loans given to 249 beneficiaries to start up a sheep breeding business.
• $2,000 in MED loans for bee raising.
• $1,375 in MED loans for pig breeding.
• $12,500 in MED loans for oxen fattening.
• 280 parents received training in breeding techniques (oxen and sheep) and soil protection.

Education

CCFC and our partners in Burkina Faso are committed to providing children in Burkina Faso with the education they need to become productive members of the community. Education for children means access to more opportunities, better paying jobs and increased literacy rates in communities. With the help of our trusted local partners, CCFC Burkina Faso raises community awareness about the importance of educating children and strengthening the capacities of children, parents, and teachers in order to maintain educational programs.

In addition to encouraging school-based programs, CCFC Burkina Faso works with community members and families to develop solutions to obstacles standing in the way of basic education for children like the lack of classroom facilities, lack of teachers, lack of school supplies, the inability of parents to support their children in school and gender inequality.

Successes:

• 36 primary school classes built.
• 24 preschools classes
• Every year, 5421 school children (1183 orphans) receive school supplies.
• Every two years, school children receive new school uniforms.
• 9 equipped playgrounds
• 11 shelters for Learn Through Play women groups
• Trained 360 women on early childhood education and 26 facilitators
• 284 children were trained on macrame and bogolan and 15 trained on traditional dance.
• 840 children have been with birth certificates to facilitate their schooling.
• 4 schools have been equipped with solar panel and 5 school supplied with electricity.

Water and Sanitation

Investing in safe drinking water and sanitation means CCFC can reduce disease and sickness, as well as the large amount of time it takes to find water for cooking and cleaning - time that can be spent on caring for children.

Children, parents and community members are educated about proper hygiene, latrine building, well maintenance, how to protect themselves and their families against disease and how to manage water resources efficiently, through widespread training and skill building.

In its effort to improve the quality of life in communities, CCFC works on conserving natural resources like water and providing drinking water. Constructing sanitary latrines, harvesting rain water, management of coastal resources and creating awareness about sanitation are the areas in which CCFC focuses.

Successes:

• 17 wells built and running water supplied for two schools.
• 22 school latrines were built, two public latrines, 135 families latrines and 11 latrines for Learn Through Play women groups
• Two women groups have been organized and equipped to help with the community garbage collection.
• In 14 programs, 15 teachers and more than 2000 children have attended workshops on hygiene at school and at home.

Health and Nutrition

Investing in health and nutrition programs means better health for families and children long before they are born. Healthy children mean a healthy and sustainable workforce. Health and Nutrition programs run by CCFC are designed to reduce malnutrition and strengthen children's bodies and their minds. We focus on prenatal and natal care and medical treatment for children, as well as HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Malnutrition sometimes stems from a lack of knowledge, not a lack of food. That is why nutrition education is a major focus of our programs. We help teach families about proper nutrition and the foods children need in order to grow up healthy. By working with parents and educating communities, we promote the importance of good nutrition and explore ways to increase food availability.

Successes:

• 10 school canteens were built and helped supply with food for 5421 children.
• 6000 enrolled children under go medical check every two years and have a medical follow up every day.
• 1800 school children (primary and secondary) have been trained on AIDS prevention.
• Awareness campaign about HIV/AIDS and Malaria in 14 communities for the benefit of more than 50000 parents (through conferences, radio, theatres).