Bourzanga — The city of Bourzanga, in northern Burkina Faso, is difficult to access due to the presence of armed groups along the road. This uncertainty is also affecting an aid program initiated by the Camillian Foundation CADIS International in collaboration with CADIS Burkina Faso to support the villagers in the post-pandemic period. Just a few weeks ago there was an attack on a supply convoy on the Djibo-Bourzanga road that killed more than 42 civilians. A part of the CADIS team already had to leave the area and go to a safer place.
"The situation has been critical for several months and we have been forced to suspend all travel to Bourzanga," said Father Marius Soussago, MI, President of CADIS Burkina Faso. The last on-site visit by the CADIS BF team took place on October 28, 2021 and several attempts at on-site visits had to be canceled due to the deteriorating general situation (see Fides, 29/7/2022). "The population of the village where our clinic is located, which we reopened in collaboration with the Sisters of Sainte Marie de Torfou,has moved to safer areas. All the staff of the health center and the community of sisters also left Bourzanga at the end of April 2022" , reports Father Marius.
"Although the first phase of the project has been successful and has had a positive impact on the living conditions of the local population and internally displaced people in Bourzanga," added Bertrand Sawadogo, Parish priest of Bourzanga and local correspondent of the project - we are helplessly witnessing the situation of insecurity which is paralyzing the second phase of the project. Unfortunately, the number of displaced people has quadrupled. We are awaiting the return of our local manager to assess the next steps of the project and we still believe that some activities can continue ".
The two-year project, which runs from March 2021 to February 2023, is primarily intended for internally displaced people in the city, 157 km from Ouagadougou, and mainly includes the health and psychosocial care of the displaced population of Bourzanga, the expansion of water supply points and the creation of a healthy living environment by building a well with a solar pump system and water storage tower, and building a canal to supply water to the parish. In addition, the food security of the internally displaced persons is to be improved.
Although the means of "CADIS Burkina Faso" are rather modest compared to the extent of their needs, the locals are happy about the courage and the closeness of the aid organization's employees. "We hope that security will return in the areas where we work and also in other parts of the country. This is necessary so that we can complete the project and carry out reconstruction measures for the return of the internally displaced people to their homes. All these projects require funds that we do not have yet, but which we entrust to the mercy of God".
