Burkina Faso is facing an urbanization which is increasingly difficult to control, particularly in suburban areas of the capital. In fact, the population of Ouagadougou has doubled between 1996 and 2011. The authorities in Ouagadougou have failed to accommodate this rise and develop basic social services at the same pace. A third of the population of Ouagadougou lives in ‘no amenities areas’, with informal housing districts and no transport, electricity, water or sanitation. This situation has a large impact on the quality of life of the poorest people, especially the 0 to 5 year old.

Planète Enfants & Développement have developed a work methodology called “family support”, based on home visits, meeting for group activities, collective initiatives, etc., to help deal with this situation. This helps promote a physical, mental and social state of well-being amongst the poorest of the population.

The family support programme is flexible and adapts to the situations of individual families. In Burkina Faso, in the areas where we work, only 30% of the inhabitants have their birth certificate. Yet they need this document to register at school and for exams, to find a job, get married… Our local partner, AGIR, have carried out a major awareness and mobilization campaign for the families and the towns to quickly rectify the situation for 105 children from 2 months to 16 years.

Through their project “Early Childhood”, Planète Enfants & Développement helps improve the conditions for the enlightenment and education of children, particularly the poorest. Enlightenment and education from a young age are recognized as essential to the process of learning and development in children. This remains a major challenge in Burkina Faso, where half of the population is younger than fourteen and where the pre-school enrolment rate amounts to just 4%. In an impoverished area, in the face of the deterioration of social and family ties, as well as educational, health and food security,  teaching young children is a major challenge  for parents, families, communities and public authorities.