To assist the most vulnerable sections of the population in a country where food and nutritional insecurity prevail, Terre des hommes (Tdh) has launched an operation to distribute money and enriched baby food. This innovative intervention of the organization should allow many beneficiaries to get through this most difficult time of the year for the poorest households.

Tdh is working in Burkina Faso to ensure food and dietary security in this country that suffers from great poverty, difficult climatic conditions and a desperate lack of infrastructure. The rainy season is a period that is especially hard for people living in rural areas; the stocks of supplies are exhausted and prices are high. Malnutrition is omnipresent and the children often bear the brunt.

A social safety net for the most vulnerable groups

The operation carried out by Tdh with the financial support of the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) will make it possible for more than 2,200 of the poorest households (i.e. an estimated 13,000 beneficiaries) to get a sum of money sufficient to feed themselves properly and to cover their essential needs. Coupled with this financial aid, the project has set up the distribution of enriched baby food for 2,000 children under two years of age. This food, rich in vitamins, proteins and trace elements has a high energy value. It is produced from locally cultivated millet, soya and groundnuts, and meets the dietary needs of a small child. This baby cereal is thus an effective weapon against infant malnutrition.

A sum of money to handle by themselves

Wherever the conditions permit, the transfer of money is a method of assistance with the advantage of guaranteeing some autonomy to the beneficiary. With this money he can - as he wishes - buy food or seed, pay for his household's healthcare, schooling for his children, or, in the best case scenario, invest it in an income-generating activity.

"This amount will make it possible for me to pay for at least two sacks of millet, which will keep us going for at least three months", explained Domodo, 39, who lives with her four children in a little village in Sourou province. The programme will enable this widow to receive 30,000 Francs CFA (about CHF 55.-). For Zerbo, a secondary school student living with his grandmother, some of the money will go to finance a poultry holding. In this way he hopes to be able to provide a long-term supplementary income.

This operation will extend the work done by Terre des hommes in Burkina Faso, where it has been active since 1987. Projects in the field of healthcare, nutrition, child protection and juvenile justice are carried out in that country.

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