Burkina Faso Celebrates 60 years of Independence

‘The land of people of integrity’

 Burkina Faso gained full independence from France on the 5^th of August 1960 after 20 years of unrest and military coups.  It was Capt. Thomas Sankara that changed the name of the country to Burkina Faso from what was then known as Upper Volta on the first anniversary of his accession to power in 1984. Burkina Faso translates as ‘land of people of integrity’ in the Mossi language, which is spoken by the majority of the people in the country.

Burkina Faso is a low-income country in the Sahel. It has limited natural resources and its economy is largely based on agriculture, which employs close to 80% of the working population.

Despite the progress it has made in the past two decades, Burkina Faso still faces many challenges, particularly in terms of health and education. It ranks 144th among 157 countries in the world bank human capital index.  In addition, insecurity linked to frequent Islamist terrorist attacks since 2016 has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and having a terrible impact on many aspects of life, especially in the north near the border with Mali. The country is experiencing an unprecedented internal displacement crisis which has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Schools and teachers are soft targets for the terrorist organisations, and tragically more than 1,000 schools in the north of the country have been forced to close recently, affecting more than 150,000 children.

Covid-19

For a country that is already overcome by many challenges, Covid-19 has just exacerbated weaknesses that were already threatening the economic stability of Burkina Faso. This, in turn, is making it even more difficult for people to earn a living in the country. As it is always the case, it is the poor who bear the brunt of the suffering. Sadly, many people fall into this category. The pandemic is compounding the already worsening humanitarian needs. Restrictions on movement has affected farmers and stopped them from delivering foodstuffs, ultimately cutting them from their main source of income and sustenance. It also means that access to food has become nearly impossible as the markets were also shut down. Schools were closed, although are expected to reopen for the new academic year in September.

ACT in Burkina Faso

ACT joins the people of Burkina Faso in celebrating 60 years of independence, recognising that this is a particularly difficult and challenging period for the nation. We have been operating in Burkina Faso since 2001 and to-date we have supported nearly 500 children in communities across 6 of the 13 regions in the country. So far more than a hundred of our supported children have graduated from university, received diplomas or certificates of further education, thanks to the many child sponsors who’s £15 a month have transformed the lives of so many disadvantaged children.  It is to our kindly supporters that we again turn for help to support the disadvantaged children and widows in need in Burkina Faso during this particularly difficult and challenging time.

Please make a donation now to our work in Burkina Faso or  to sponsor one or more children click here.