Through our partner organizations, Diakonia has more than 20 years of experience in changing the lives of vulnerable people in Burkina Faso. The main objective of Diakonia’s work is to improve the living conditions of the poor at the grassroots level and at the same time working for policy influence at a national level.

The majority of the population in Burkina Faso lives in absolute poverty. The country is marked by a high adult illiteracy rate, poor access to health services, widening income gapes between the rich and poor and seasonal migration, where almost one tenth of the population migrates abroad yearly.

With few natural resources, the country depends on agricultural economy that has a hard time countering the rampant population growth and the climatic hazards alternating frequent droughts and floods.

Diakonia and our partners

Diakonia and its partners work by raising the awareness among the citizens about their rights, organization of the populations, systematic capacity building and monitoring for change. An important part of this work is to strengthen our partner's advocacy skills and their knowledge in using information technology. 

Gender analysis, HIV and AIDS and rights-based approach are built in all the activities. In addition, support in financial management, accounting and monitoring are all important elements that enable our partners to be effective on the ground.

Examples of progress

Some significant progress regarding the gender issue and education has been made in Burkina Faso during recent years. In 2009 a law on the gender quotas of elected offices was adopted.

Another significant progress is the adoption of a more vocationally oriented literacy curriculum promoting professional insertion after school, and the national adoption of bilingual education.

Also, partners have been successful in their advocacy work, one example is the establishment of the advocacy organ National Coalition on Climate Changes.

Humanitarian releif due to drought and hunger In 2012 Diakonia is leading a large humanitarian relief effort to provide almost 60 000 Burkinabes' with food. The humanitarian effort is based on an ACT Alliance appeal, led by Diakonia. Hunger and drought in Burkina Faso

Kayaba Sawadougo in the village Kampiiga has recieved training by Diakonia's partner. Now he has increaed his harvest, and can send all his children to school. And he is teaching other farmers how to secure better harvests in the future. Photo: Peter Hoelstad