BURKINA FASO

Burkina Faso has been, for a long time, classified as a "poor" country, and despite its real efforts to improve the situation, the country remains at a low level of development, exacerbated by the lack of natural resources and economic production.

And yet, the national policy context is stable- there is strong support for decentralization and a renewal of interest in decentralized cooperation.

In rural zones, the rate of access to water, to heath and to education remains insufficient.

The country is regularly confronted with food shortages, principally in the Sahelian zones. The rainfall deficit and long dry spells which regularly affect these regions preclude food security for a large part of the population. Despite a high level of grain production, the country is not achieving a level of self-sufficiency.

To face up to this situation, the Burkinaby government has recently put into action a "poverty reduction strategy framework" which is broken up into specific strategies linked to health, education, water and food security.

Eau Vive in Burkina Faso

Eau Vive has been present in Burkina Faso since 1978 and monitors progress from their office in Ougadougou.

The activities of Eau Vive comply with national policy and demonstrate to various partners and the State the benefits of such an approach to local development and the advantages of carrying out the villagers' projects.

Main areas of action:

• Water and Food security
• Eau Vive participates in building the capacities of local associations within villages and between villages, as well as those of local leaders and management committees.
• Eau Vive supports revenue generating activities
• Eau Vive is involved in setting up the basic village structures within the decentralization process.