Key Challenges for children in Burkina Faso
- Drought is a persistent problem in Burkina Faso, and is worsening due to the effects of climate change.
- More than 8 percent of all children die before the age of 5. The leading causes of death are lower respiratory infections, malaria, and diarrhea, due to contaminated water sources and poor sanitation in rural areas.
- Forty percent of the population is living below the poverty line.
- There has been increased insurgent violence in the past few years, particularly in the north and east, displacing more than 100,000 people.
How your support is helping children like Helène
It’s not hard for Helène, 19, to imagine how different life would be if she hadn’t received a scholarship through PEASS (Promoting Equality and Safety in School), a Plan International program focussing on girls’ rights, education, and ending gender-based violence.
“When I go back to my village, I’m saddened by the situation of other girls,” Helène says. “Most have dropped out of school and are married.”
Helène is helping to raise awareness, both near and far, about what girls can accomplish
with an education. In 2014, she visited the United States to attend a Plan International conference on child marriage, and last year she participated in the African Union Youth Summit in Ghana. None of this would have been possible without Plan International.
“This project has completely changed my life,” Helene says.