Evolution of our COVID-19 Response

Burkina Faso has seen an increase in violence from Jihadist groups in the Sahel region—a belt of semi-arid land south of the Sahara Desert including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Since 2019, insecurity has reached devastating levels and the number of Burkinabe people fleeing violence has skyrocketed. It is estimated that over 2.7 million people have been forced to flee, many occupying cramped collective centers, with a further 13.4 million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

Increased displacement is reinforced by poverty, unemployment, lack of infrastructure, and the impacts of climate change.

2021 distributions in Burkina Faso

Prolonged drought has affected agriculture and food production and the arrival of COVID-19 has placed a further strain on a country already struggling to provide essential services like healthcare.

This insecurity and instability make it difficult for aid workers to reach families in need. Despite the challenges for humanitarian organizations, ShelterBox has been working with our partner Help since 2020 to support the most vulnerable communities. In 2021 we leveraged our partnership with Help and scaled our response to support more families. Thanks to our supporters, we were able to provide shelter, tarps, kitchen sets, sleeping mats, blankets, and other essential items, including soap and buckets to families who had recently been forced to flee as well as to people whose existing shelters had been damaged by heavy rain and strong winds.

Rihanata and her family became part of the 2.7 million Burkinabé displaced when their village was targeted by Boko Haram.

Rihanata, her grandson Issa, and her daughter escaped to a nearby village, where their only refuge was a makeshift shelter made from plastic bags. The structure offered very little space or protection from the elements. Not only was it incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in at night but their belongings became waterlogged every time it rained.

With your generous donations, we provided Rihanata with a ShelterBox tent as well as household essentials like sleeping mats, solar lamps, and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She said she particularly appreciated the cook set, with which she takes great pride in preparing hot meals for her family.

Rihanata, with her grandson Issa, using their ShelterBox cook set and floor mat, Burkina Faso, 2021