Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso faces numerous challenges that affect people’s lives on a daily basis. Political uncertainties hamper economic and social progress, while the country is heavily dependent on insecure sources of income such as cotton production and mining. More than 80 percent of the population work in agriculture, mostly for self-sufficiency – but climatic extremes are increasingly affecting them. Persistent droughts dry out the soil, while heavy rainfall causes flooding and makes fields unusable. At the same time, environmental problems are exacerbating the situation: pollutants from mining and the uncontrolled burning of waste are polluting the soil and endangering people’s health. Added to this is an inadequate supply of drinking water, which in many places is accompanied by outdated or lacking sanitary facilities. In rural regions in particular, many people have no access to clean water or hygienic sanitary facilities, which encourages the spread of diseases and makes living conditions even more difficult.