Burkina Faso
With few natural resources and one of the highest population densities in Africa, Burkina Faso is the second poorest country in the world (United Nations Development Programme 2007-8), only Sierra Leone, currently emerging from civil war, is poorer.
More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture
which is subject to drought and poor soil quality. Only one river in
Burkina Faso - the Black Volta - flows for the whole year, and rainfall
levels are decreasing.
Burkina’s literacy rates are among the
worst in the world. Less than 19% of men and less than 9% of women are
able to read and write. Most literate people are in the capital. In the
countryside, it is possible that there might be only one literate person
in a village of 1,000 people. For people with disabilities the literacy
rate hovers at around 3% for men and 1% for women.
International
Service has been working in Burkina Faso since 1978. The majority of
our local partners work with local communities in both rural and urban
areas, and focus on working with disabled people and women.
In
2007, we began a project called 'Strengthening the Capacity of
Grassroots Disabled People's Organisations in Burkina Faso' through
which we work with 6 organisations. Through the placement of
professional development workers, we are assisting them in strengthening
their organisational capacity to become more sustainable. As part of
this initiative we are also working with them to increase the standard
of living of their members through a small grants system for income
generating activities.
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