Bobo-Dioulasso: Participants in the “Yèrètali” project are reflecting on innovative actions to improve people’s living conditions

The “Yèrètali” Recovery and Community Resilience Support Program is implemented by the NGO Action Contre la Famine (ACF) and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD). Yèrètali, which means “self-sufficiency” in the local Dioula language, aims to improve the living conditions and resilience of the most vulnerable groups in the Upper Basin and Cascades. More specifically, it will enable the strengthening of the livelihoods and access to basic social services of targeted individuals, families and communities in a sustainable and integrated manner.

After one year of implementation, the stakeholders decided to meet today to assess the results of the interventions and the progress made in the first year of implementation of the project, and to discuss together the different challenges and prospects for the coming years. This is to better continue to support the beneficiaries in vulnerable communities in eight municipalities in the two intervention areas (Upper Bassan and Cascades).

Indeed, in the first year of the Yeretali Plan’s implementation, several achievements have been made. Stakeholders have worked closely with local authorities and communities to implement innovative strategies and effective interventions. As a result, various actions taken by eight municipalities in the Upper Basin and Cascades region have helped improve living conditions and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities.

All indicators are satisfactory

Thomas Owono, country director of the non-governmental organization Action Contre la Hunger Burkina Faso, said that in terms of food aid, the project aims to assist 1,200 families in the Cascade region and 1,200 families in the Upper Basin region. “Today, we are happy that these events can take place,” he said. The project also set a goal of assisting all displaced people in the “shock zones”. With the support of the local government, the project has helped more than 1,000 families. “Today, we have more than 3,000 families who have received food aid, not to mention the achievements in terms of access to drinking water. We built new water points and rehabilitated old ones,” he said.

In the core areas of health and nutrition that the NGO focuses on, health workers benefited from training in malnutrition management in health zones. In terms of psychosocial support, humanitarian actors also received training to equip them to care for those who need psychosocial support. However, implementing such a programme inevitably brings challenges. “These challenges have pushed us to reflect on our practices and strategies for progress,” said Thomas Owono. Hence the meeting held in Bobo-Dioulasso.

Consider innovative actions to improve your project

For Thomas Owono, Country Director of the NGO Action Against Hunger, the meeting served as a framework for accountability to the authorities and stakeholders who attended the launch of the program in 2022 to plan together the next steps. It gave us the opportunity to discuss in depth the challenges we encountered and the lessons learned. These discussions will allow us to fine-tune our approach and strengthen the effectiveness of the program for its further implementation,” stressed Thomas Owono, Country Director of the NGO Action Against Hunger.

He said the purpose of this meeting was to present to the participants all the results of the first year of implementation of the project, in order to collect everyone’s opinions and jointly find means and solutions to build better in the coming years as part of the project. For those involved in the implementation of the project, at the beginning of the second year, it is essential to have a clear roadmap to continue to achieve the set goals. “We must therefore optimize our strategy and ensure that our activities are in line with the government’s priorities; strengthen the impact of the project and encourage collaboration,” he suggested.

For Thomas Owono, this program symbolizes the commitment of the NGO ACF to a future in which vulnerable communities are not only self-sufficient but, above all, resilient. In fact, Action Against Hunger has been working in Burkina Faso since 2008 and in 2018 in the Hauts-Basins region. It was in the face of the difficult situation that the country is going through, especially the security and humanitarian crisis, that ACF decided to implement this “Yèrètali” program with funding from AFD. The project targets the most vulnerable groups, including women and young people. It seeks to strengthen decentralized technical services, building on them and seeking to strengthen existing mechanisms, thus ensuring the sustainability of interventions. This project is also taking place in the regions of Chologo and Bunkani, in Côte d’Ivoire.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mariama Konaté/Gnanou, Governor of the Haut-Bassin region, welcomed the initiative of this project, which she considers part of the development goals of the transitional government. She also recalled that this workshop is an important step in fine-tuning the project strategy and sharing experiences. She firmly believes that the active participation and contribution of stakeholders are essential for the success of the initiative. That is why she invited participants to have a frank exchange so that in the end “this project has the potential to transform challenges into opportunities and build a future where everyone has access to adequate food, water and dignified living conditions.”

Romuald Dauphiny

Lefaso.net

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AB3: Thomas Owono, Burkina Faso country director of the NGO Action Contre la Hunger, outlines the objectives of the conference

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