Burkina Faso has a around 2,000,000 internally displaced persons. These internal migrations, resulting from conflict, have led to the displacement of over 285,000 children under the age of 15 in the Sahel region. These children fled their villages threatened by armed groups, only to find themselves in an unfamiliar environment without resources.
Since 2022, the Joining Forces for Child Protection in Emergencies (JF- CPiE) project has been operating in the Sahel region to rebuild a stabilizing living environment for these uprooted families.
Its teams currently support nearly 7,000 children through child-friendly spaces (CFS), psychosocial follow-up sessions, and awareness sessions on children’s rights, positive parenting, and hygiene, accompanied by the distribution of dignity kits
Educational Talk and Positive Parenting
Burkina Faso, particularly the province of Soum with its capital Djibo, has been under significant pressure from non-state armed groups since 2019. Due to this situation and to save their lives, many households fled their villages to settle in sites accommodating internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city of Djibo. Adjaratou’s (pseudonym) household is one of those forced to relocate to other parts of the country.
“I am a 42-year-old woman, and my household is originally from Bougué, a village in the Djibo commune in the Sahel region. We ended up on this IDP site due to the atrocities committed by non-state armed groups. On that day, they carried out indiscriminate shootings against the population, killing some. Later, they set fire to shops and homes before ordering us to leave under the threat of retaliation.
Overwhelmed by fear, we didn’t have time to take all our belongings; we only took the essentials using a cart to reach Djibo.”
Like all other households, Adjaratou found herself on this IDP site in sector 04 of Djibo, with no hope of returning to her previous life. Adjaratou’s hope was sparked by a meeting with an agent from the JF CPiE project of WeWorld in Djibo. This agent approached Adjaratou, sitting in front of her tent (makeshift shelter), and invited her to join other women for an educational talk on gender-based violence (GBV).
“Upon our arrival at this site, my husband, our children, and I were disoriented. We didn’t know how to integrate into the local community. To benefit from assistance, several propositions (sex for food or money) were made to me by some people in the community. My daughter and I even fell victim to violence on the road while searching for water for my household. Life was not easy until the day our paths crossed with the Joining Force project agents from WeWorld. Our four children were getting bored day by due to difficulties when venturing outside, and I found myself losing a sense of purpose in life.”
The educational talks and positive parenting aspects of the Joining Force project address themes of human rights, living together, and child protection risks. These activities enable the community to prevent sexual abuse, abuses of power, exploitation, and to live in perfect harmony.
“My participation in these activities has allowed me to integrate among my peers and even within the community, as the participants were not only displaced individuals. These awareness sessions enlightened me on the good practices of living together, social cohesion and how to educate my children for the well-being of all. I also learned to recognize the various types of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), their manifestations, and effective ways to report them. Participating in these activities greatly helped me to recreate an environment conducive to my life.”
The conflict in Burkina Faso
Since 2016, Burkina Faso is facing a non-international armed conflict opposing the government forces against Ansaroul Islam, a local armed group affiliated with Al Qaida, and with the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS)..
How Boly Alou and His Family Found Hope in Adversity
In the peaceful commune of Oursi, in the heart of the Oudalan province in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, once resided Boly (pseudonym), a courageous 43-year-old man, proud husband, and father of six children. However, the tranquility of their life was abruptly interrupted by the incessant threats from the Non- State Armed Groups (NSAG), forcing the family to flee their native village to take refuge in Site C of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Gorom Gorom (the hosting town for IDPs), leaving everything behind
“I left everything behind in Oursi when the NSAG (non-state armed groups) forced us to leave our native village. My animals were stolen by the NSAG.”
Deprived of all means of livelihood, Boly felt helpless in providing for his family. Meanwhile, his wife, determined to support their family, spent her days working hard to earn a few coins or some food. The difficulties seemed insurmountable until a glimmer of hope emerged in their lives, in the form of the positive parenting program implemented by the NGO WeWorld, Member of the ChildFund alliance.
Through awareness sessions, Boly learned the importance of personal hygiene and mental health, enabling him to better care for himself and his family. Additionally, his wife was deeply influenced by the advice on positive communication and compassionate parenting.
She abandoned punitive methods in favor of dialogue and support, thus creating a more harmonious and warm family environment. “I spend more time with the children and tell them funny stories,” she said. And Boly added, “What struck me the most is that my wife stopped scolding the children for mistakes but instead resorted to dialogue.”
The safe space created by the program became a place of sharing and support for Boly and his family. They were able to express their concerns and joys freely, thereby strengthening community ties and resilience in the face of adversity.
Over time, the efforts of Boly and his family bore fruit. Inspired by the program’s teachings, they began to rebuild their lives with optimism and determination. Boly even found temporary employment in the town of Gorom, enabling him to contribute financially to the well-being of his family.
Like all children her age, Mata (pseudonym) was forced to leave her native village, Koubaoua, in 2021 under the pressure of terrorist armed groups to settle in Djibo, the capital of Soum province in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. She found herself in an unusual environment where play spaces were limited due to the massive population displacement in the city of Djibo.
“Upon arriving at the internal displaced persons site of Basneré in April 2021 with my mother and brothers, I was anxious and disoriented in my new living environment. I deeply felt the absence of my childhood friends. My days and nights were so long that I felt abandoned.”
“The awakening of young children primarily occurs within families and in secure and peaceful environments, but other places such as Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) contribute to the flourishing and well-being of children. Thus, it was through an educational talk activity in sector No. 4 of Djibo that our field team met Mata (pseudonym), and she was invited to participate in awareness sessions.”
“Since I started taking part in the activities of the Joining Force project at the Child- Friendly Space and in the awareness sessions, I have left those memories behind. And this is thanks to the various activities conducted at the space. I especially appreciated the awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene. It is a topic that our mothers find taboo, while we adolescent girls need support to manage it better and be able to carry ourselves confidently even in public without feeling embarrassed.”
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This publication was produced with the financial support of the German Humanitarian Assistance
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Humanitarian Assistance.