Brooke West Africa addresses water shortages faced by communities and animals in Burkina Faso

Brooke West Africa is helping people in Burkina Faso affected by water shortages, displacement and poverty, to improve the welfare of their communities and animals. 

The project is aiding nine vulnerable communities in the Sanmatengo province to gain access to water, agriculture and a more robust disaster management system.  

These problems have been accelerated by recent conflict, leaving almost 500,000 people currently displaced in Burkina Faso’s northeastern region.

The communities are primarily owners of horses, donkeys and mules, who are depended on to help them fetch water and earn an income, but are also suffering from these shortages. 

Brooke West Africa predicts the project will benefit more than 18,000 people and 2,300 working animals.

Continued conflict and the displacement of people has increased pressure on existing and already difficult to reach water points. 

Brooke West Africa has partnered with non-governmental organisation, Inades-Formation, to:

• Improve access to agriculture and alternative livelihood resources for 1,910 households and internally displaced people 

• Train in agriculture and organic vegetable growing for 250 people and a school in the villages of Gansse, Guéré, Napamboumbou, Sera, Kanretenga, Soundogo 

• Improve access to drinking water for 930 households and their animals in the villages of Gansse, Guéré, Sera, Soundogo 

• Use drip irrigation systems to grow produce all year, not just during the 3-month rainy season 

• Strengthen the resilience of communities facing climate risks and disasters for people and animals they depend on 

• Enhance knowledge of animal welfare and basic husbandry skills among community members. 

By learning methods in soil conservation and helping internally displaced people and schools access the land, Brooke West Africa can begin to support and rehabilitate agricultural land. 

Brooke West Africa is also providing support with savings and loans groups to introduce a range of income-generating activities such as goat breeding, to encourage sustainable entrepreneurship and financial independence. 

Paul Diedhiou, Project Development Manager at Brooke West Africa, said: “For the most vulnerable people in these regions of Burkina Faso, they walk with their donkeys around six or seven kilometres to access drinking water. 

“The degradation of agriculture, thanks to the effects of climate change, means it is also difficult for the most vulnerable, especially young and elderly people, to access the land.” 

“Brooke West Africa and Inades-Formation have detailed knowledge and experience to strengthen the resilience of this population, and in turn give working animals a life worth living.” 

Having 90 years of experience working across the globe, Brooke draws on knowledge gained by community and animal welfare practices in often overlooked and hard to reach areas. 

Already, Brooke West Africa has launched a gardening and borehole project in Kanretenga, which saw the daily lives of the people and animals living there transformed.

Harouna, a local resident, said: “Having enough water to drink used to be a real problem, but now we have enough, women are even growing vegetables to support their themselves.” 

David Zoundi, Project Lead at Inades-Formation, said: “Recent changes in Burkina Faso have put a huge strain on the livelihoods of people and the working animals who help them earn an income. 

"Access to drinking water remains the central problem facing donkey owners in this area.

“Everyday, they travel long distances to fetch water, mainly using their donkeys."

The project will also contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG2: No Poverty and SDG13: Climate Action. 

This has been possible thanks to funding from Guernsey Overseas Aid, who will invest £165,000 over the project’s three-year span.  

Learn more about Brooke West Africa’s project work here.