Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. The country gained independence in 1960. Burkinabees, as they are known, are often colourfully dressed. Burkina Faso means “land of the upright man”. The country has significant reserves of gold and is a leader in African art and culture and hosts the largest craft market in Africa.  

Burkina Faso is a very poor country and as a result has the lowest literacy rate on the planet. The literacy rate: 46% can read and write over the age of 15. For women in this age band, the figure is lower due to gender inequality.  

International Needs Burkina Faso (IN Burkina Faso) is based in Bobo-Dioulasso and has been working for more than 10 years in the launching and supporting of several development projects in the rural areas around Bobo-Dioulasso. Through a school and a thriving medical centre we are meeting the needs of hundreds, providing affordable healthcare and education. 

We worked with international Needs Burkina Faso in 2009 to build and equip a medical centre for the local community in Colma. The medical centre now diagnoses and treats thousands of individuals each year. Since 2023, the medical centre receives over 50,000 patients annually!

One of the largest demands at the medical centre was for maternity services. So, in 2016 IN BF built a new maternity unit to add to the existing medical centre, where there is an increasing number of babies being born with limited space. In 2017, a new 7 bed maternity ward was built to provide families with pre and post natal care, and in 2021 an ambulance was purchased for the medical centre. 

To meet the needs of the growing local population from displacement due to volatility in some areas of Burkina Faso, we also completed the construction of four new classrooms at the La Bonne Nouvelle School in 2022. These classrooms were built on top of the ones we previously built in 2018, with the help of our supporters. La Bonne Nouvelle continues to be a beacon of good quality education in Bobo-Dioulasso.