Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, where even basic services such as health care is not available for most, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS looms large. Most adults work in subsistence agriculture, which is constantly threatened by variable rainfall and a cruel and weakening natural environment.

The school system is very weak and poverty increases the chances that children will drop out of school and be at risk of child trafficking. Burkina Faso has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, and education is an urgent need particularly for girls. The AIDS epidemic has affected all levels of society.

Burkina Faso was one of the first countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. We work to further the understanding of laws, charters and conventions in support of children by all citizens of Burkina Faso.

Latest News:

• Waterborne Diseases Threaten Flood Survivors  (Sept 24, 2007)

• Burkina Faso: Torrential Rains Continue (Sept 13, 2007)

• Floods Leave 20,000 Homeless  (August 2007)

 

"Children are being trafficked from Burkina Faso into other countries in West Africa every day. They are lured by the promise of high wages, or the chance to go to school. They may end up on cocoa or cotton farms, or in gold mines, and in the sex trade. Read more about Save the Children Canada's TREAT program to fight child trafficking."