Africa's Forgotten Crisis: A Return to Education in Burkina Faso
With funding from Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF and strategic partners are getting girls and boys back to the safety of learning with vocational training, radio programs, catch-up classes and other holistic supports.
In the West African nation of Burkina Faso, school closures affect the education of around 820,000 children. Hunger, armed conflict, forced displacement and other factors are putting girls and boys at grave risk and derailing efforts to deliver on the promises outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The ongoing conflict has forced as many as 5,300 schools to close their doors and displaced approximately 2 million people. Families are being pushed from their homes, boys are at high risk of recruitment into armed groups, hundreds of girls are being forced into child marriage, and the dreams and potential of an entire generation are caught in the crosshairs.
For girls and boys who have been forced to flee the violence, access to quality learning opportunities offers a ray of hope in a world turned upside down. With an education, children like Juliette and Amadé are daring to dream again. Here, they shared their stories of hope and redemption on the front lines of one of Africa’s forgotten crises.
Despite being forced from her home, 14-year-old Juliette refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a teacher
"One day, we were in class, and they came to take us out, and we fled. We put our things on a cart, and we came to Barsalogho where we took the bus to get to Kaya," says Juliette, 14. "On the road, we suffered from hunger and thirst. We slept in the bush. When we arrived in Korko, we would have liked to stay there but there was always insecurity, so we kept going. We continued suffering until we got to Kaya.”
When they arrived in Kaya, Juliette and her mother were lucky enough to find a place to live with some friends. The house wasn’t fancy, but it was right next to a public school. Juliette had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, and with a school so close, her passion for learning was reignited. Through a program delivered by UNICEF in coordination with the government and local partners, Juliette was able to enroll in catch-up classes and is now back in school.
Since 2019, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UNICEF-hosted global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, has invested more than $23 million in Burkina Faso, reaching close to 400,000 children, including 167,000 internally displaced children and over 200,000 host community children. The investment is providing learning materials, training and funding teachers, building and rehabilitating temporary learning spaces, and providing other holistic supports to get girls and boys back to the safety and security of the classroom.
“I am happy to have received this school kit because I nearly went to sell in the streets to pay for supplies and schooling. I want to be a teacher, to give knowledge to children. I will also have a salary to support my parents,” says Juliette.
Vocational training opens doors
Amadé, 13, has a visual handicap. Vocational training courses have put him on a path to a successful career. Since birth, Amadé has had a problem with his left eye. Over the years, it’s gotten worse and worse.
About a year ago, Amadé and his family fled from Djibo. The town, located near Mali’s border, is under constant threat, and a blockade by fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State has blocked access to food, health care and other essential services for more than a year. Somehow, Amadé and his family managed to get out and find sanctuary in Ouahigouya, about 100 kilometers away.
With his visual impairment, Amadé has had very limited access to formal education over the years. "When I was much younger, my parents enrolled me in school. At the time, we were still in Djibo. Unfortunately, with my eye problem, I had to stop in CP1. We tried to treat it, but the security situation made it so that we couldn't continue," says Amadé.
In June 2023, Amadé learned about a farming center in Ouahigouya where an ECW-funded initiative, delivered by UNICEF, was offering vocational training. On the farm, Amadé is now learning about pastry-making, and sheep and poultry farming.
"We're taught the different ways of feeding chickens and how to take care of them. We even learn how to vaccinate the chickens so they don't get sick. But my favorite thing is sheep farming. I'd like to be able to raise sheep," he says.
Courses cover everything from sewing and renewable energy to juice production and sheep farming
As part of the localization agenda outlined in the Grand Bargain Agreements, the investment is delivered in the field by local NGOs including Children Believe and the Centre Diocésain de Communication, with support from UNICEF and funding from ECW.
Groups of 40 to 50 students per center are offered a package of three training courses. The courses cover everything from sewing, mechanics and renewable energy, to tiling, poultry farming, juice production, hairdressing, and, of course, Amadé's favorite, sheep farming.
Amadé’s courage and determination have impressed his teachers and classmates alike.
"Since we started this training program, he has never missed a class. When his eye hurts too much, he goes outside until it calms down. I'm impressed by his bravery," says his teacher Andréa Belem.
I'm doing my best to be among the best students. That way, I'll be able to get what I need to start my livestock breeding project. And I'll be able to help my parents find a solution for my sick eye. — Amadé, 13
At the end of the three-month training, the best students will receive a start-up kit. As for Amadé, he's hoping to be provided with sheep, so that he can launch his own business.
"I'm doing my best to be among the best students. That way, I'll be able to get what I need to start my livestock-breeding project. And I'll be able to help my parents find a solution for my sick eye," he explains.
A movement united
More than 1,000 students have already completed the training courses, while others are receiving supports to return to school, access remote learning via radio programs and take advantage of various holistic education supports delivered through the program.
They are not alone. A number of girls and boys in Burkina Faso have shared their Postcards from the Edge with Education Cannot Wait. They serve as a clarion call for world leaders to step up and provide urgent resources to organizations like Education Cannot Wait and UNICEF to deliver on our promises of education for all, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.
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