USADF's Burkina Faso Program

Burkina Faso has a population of 14,017,262 (52% women; 46.6% under the age of 15; 73% rural areas). In the urban and peri-urban areas, poverty is increasing due to the migration of the rural poor.

The Boucle du Mouhoun, northern, and east central regions are characterized as regions with large populations and a high incidence of poverty. They are followed by the Hauts Bassins, west central, central plateau, and eastern regions. Priority marginalized groups include:

Food Security: Burkina Faso is classified as both a least developed country and a low-income, food-deficit country.  It is subject to recurrent drought and locust infestation resulting in cereal production shortfall. Groups at risk for malnutrition include children under three year old, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Women have low literacy and education levels, are excluded in decision making processes, have limited access to economic opportunities (land, equipment, loans, low organizational capacity,and access to markets).

Youth (under 25 years old) make up about 20% of the unemployed population; the most affected are found in rural areas. Many of these young people live in poor households, are illiterate, lack skills to access the job market and economic opportunities which leads to migration into urban areas.

Disabled: approximately 9% of the population are considered disabled people who have limited access to literacy, education, training and economic opportunities.

The Sahel Initiative will focus at least half of our programming in the area  of the country where the Sahel intersects across the northern portion of the country from  northern portions of Boucle du Mouhoun (Dédougou) in the West, across the provinces of Centre-Nord (Kaya), Nord (Ouahigouya), and Sahel (Dori), and to Est (Fada N'gourma) in the Eastern part of the country.

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