By Celestine Ouedraogo
Last month, Mr. Dietrich Pohl, the German Ambassador to Burkina Faso, visited resilience and malnutrition activities in the rural communities of Ekoulkoala and Kyon, in the Centre-West region. Both of these activities, supported by WFP, were funded by Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The visit gave the Ambassador the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of Germany’s valuable contribution to assist vulnerable populations and communities.
The Ambassador visisted Ekoulkoala, where WFP assists the communities with a Cash for Assets (CFA) programme to build their resilience to face climate shocks, such as floods and droughts. In 2013, about 1,050 people (175 households) cleared 14 hectares of undeveloped land, receiving cash for their hard work. Now, this land is used to produce rice during the rainy season and for gardening in the dry season.
Suzanne Kando, 54, benefited from the CFA programme in 2013 and continues to work with fellow community members to farm the land.
“Before the activities, I worked with my husband in our family field. My income from the sale of eggplants was about USD $150, and we only ate one meal a day. This year, I expanded the garden. With the extra income, I can contribute to our family needs, and we worry less about money for food, school fees or medical care.”
The Ambassador also visited Kyon, where WFP supports treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) for children under five, and pregnant and nursing women. In 2014, funding constraints forced WFP to suspend activities in four regions, including the Centre-West. The health clinic faced severe shortfalls for nutritional supplements, which are distributed to the children and women suffering from MAM. However, thanks to Germany’s support, WFP was able to resume activities in these regions, and the health clinic in Kyon could continue its work. A total of 542 children and 75 women received nutritional supplements to improve their health condition.
While in Kyon, the Ambassador spoke to community members who acknowledged the impact of WFP-supported activities in the region. “It is clear that food and nutrition insecurity exist not only in emergency situations, but also in normal, everyday conditions. I am very impressed with the level of community engagement in Kyon and Ekoulkoala. We will continue to support humanitarian activities through WFP.”
According to WFP Country Director, Jean-Charles Dei, WFP has only been able to mobilize about half of the resources planned for this operation, and continues to suffer from severe shortfalls.
“Fortunately, generous donors such as Germany have come to the rescue. The German contribution of USD 2.6 million in 2014 allowed WFP to resume activities in four regions where we had suspended them.”
From 2011-2015, Germany has contributed a total of US$ 6.5 million, making it one of WFP’s biggest donors. In Burkina Faso, food insecurity continues to remain a challenge, and WFP supports the Government in its efforts to reduce malnutrition. In 2014, the Government of Burkina Faso, through WFP, received US$ 2.6 million from Germany for treatment of moderate accute malnutrtion (MAM), which benefited a total of 56,684 children under five and 11,280 pregnant and nursing women. Purchase for Progress (P4P) activities also received a contribution from BMZ in 2014 to organize training sessions and purchase equipment for smallholder farmers so that they can reduce post-harvest losses.
