The local context
From 2012, The Sahel region of Burkina Faso is experiencing major disruption as a result of the war in Sudan. Mali. Fighters often move between the Burkina Faso, the Niger and the Mali. Insecurity has become the rule, and local people are paying a high price. We began our activities in 2008 in the country, to support the initiatives of the Association des Guides du Campement EDJEF de Gandefabou (AGCEG now called A2M).
In addition to the reintroduction of the red-legged ostrich in the region, the aim of the partnership was to work towards improving living conditions for local people and reforesting the area.
Today, in addition to a major economic crisis, families are suffering an unprecedented security crisis. The threat of terrorism has led to the closure of schools in the area, unschooling so over 154,000 children. Representatives of the Burkina Faso government in this area are regularly threatened, abducted and murdered. People's livestock is stolen... Conditions have become unbearable for the people, who have to choose between enlisting alongside the terrorists or fleeing to less threatened areas.
The village of Gandefabou is now deserted, as are all the villages on the border strip between France and Spain. Mali and the Burkina Faso. The population of these villages fled the disastrous security conditions, becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs) who settled in the major cities: Déou, Oursi, Gorom Gorom. The municipality of Gorom Gorom, composed of 106,300 inhabitants, Today, it hosts more than 30,630 IDPs, an increase of 29% of its population in two years.
Project objectives
Humy, HUMY, loyal to its local partners, is committed to providing food support to several dozen people who have had to leave the north of Burkina Faso for the suburbs of Ouagadougou. With the support of HUMY, our partner A2M has developed a market-gardening activity in a small area in Dar Salam, offering a job to several women. With the situation in the north not evolving in a positive direction, food aid remains a major support for these displaced families.
Visit 2011, HUMY financed the planting of 11,000 trees. 60% survived, which is a good result given the difficult climatic conditions in this Sahelian region.
Visit 2015, However, we were forced to stop what we were doing because the situation had become far too dangerous. Ecotourism, which was the basis for the development of the village of Gandéfabou and the surrounding area was completely halted as soon as 2012.
A2M continues today to support families in the Sahel, through the development of community projects in agriculture, education, health, vocational training, etc. 200 displaced persons are settled on the site of the former’Oursi. A Gorom Gorom, There are 400 workers from former camps set up in different parts of the city, including 50 welcomed to the camp site. The situation is very complicated for these families, who have left everything behind... The children have not attended school since 2015 because the schools have closed. The adults have no jobs and therefore no income. The displaced people are surviving on a day-to-day basis thanks to the solidarity of the local people. Gorom Gorom. However, the massive influx of IDPs is upsetting the balance of the municipality, in terms of access to municipal infrastructure, water, health services, etc.
Gorom Gorom, the capital of the Province of’Oudalan, is a community of 82 villages, divided into 5 sectors. The commune is made up of 155,589 inhabitants of which more than 60,000 IDPS (Internally Displaced Persons).
Visit 2020 and 2023, Humy supported a’A2M à Ouagadougou, to help displaced families. This support for the project was repeated in 2024 given the many needs and the dramatic situation in the Burkina Faso.
113,000 meals have already been financed by Humy in this area.