Launch of the EU-funded 'Partnership for the development of drinking water and sanitation services in the Centre-West region' project in Burkina Faso
Published on: 25/07/2024
In a ceremony full of hope and promise for the future, the commune of Réo hosted the official launch of the 'Water Sector Support Project' for the period 2023-2027 on 17 May 2024. Funded by the European Union, this project marks a decisive turning point for access to drinking water and the improvement of sanitation infrastructures in the Centre-West region.
To help make the right to water and sanitation for all a reality in Burkina Faso, the European Union is also funding a project entitled ‘Partnership for the development of drinking water and sanitation services in the Centre-West region’. With a budget of €3,800,000, the project aims to guarantee drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030 in the Centre-West region of Burkina Faso. It will run for four years, with the main beneficiaries being the local population, internally displaced persons (IDPs), schools and health centres. It will be implemented by the NGO consortium IRC and OXFAM. The project, which is part of the regional strategic plan, aims to give local people full and safe access to drinking water and sanitation.
As a prelude to the start-up workshop, a large delegation made up of implementers, decentralised state services, NGO consortia and headed by Mrs Monica Liberati, Social and Human Development Team Leader at the European Union delegation to Burkina Faso, visited some of the beneficiary sites on Thursday 16 May 2024 in the commune of Zawara.
The commune of Zawara is one of three in the province of Sanguié to benefit from this ambitious project aimed at improving access to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation services. The project, implemented by the IRC/Oxfam consortium, is part of the European Union's initiatives to strengthen essential infrastructure and improve living conditions for local populations.
The field visit was recorded in this video:
On Friday 17 May 2024, the commune of Réo hosted the official launch of the project, in the presence of the donor, the various stakeholders and the beneficiaries.
The impact of these initiatives goes far beyond infrastructure. By improving access to drinking water, the project aims to reduce the prevalence of water-borne diseases and frees up precious time for women and girls, who will thus be encouraged to continue their studies and participate fully in economic life.
Sawadogo Moumouni, who is in charge of the project at IRC, explains that: ‘In the first year of the project, the priority is to strengthen relations with the decentralised state services (governate, Regional Water and Sanitation Department (DREA), health, education and social action) by formalising them, and to correctly assess the drinking water and sanitation facilities to be rehabilitated (drawing up an exhaustive inventory, preparing documentation, recruiting servicing staff, assessing the equipment to be rehabilitated). The decentralised technical services of the State will contribute to the implementation of the activities as per their governing functions and will take part in a regional body for monitoring the implementation of the project’.
According to Alassane Sori, technical adviser to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, ‘these two projects are fully in line with the national “water battle” initiative, and will directly affect nearly 80,000 people in the three regions’.
Daniel Aristi Gaztelumendi, Ambassador of the European Union, stressed the crucial importance of these initiatives in guaranteeing equitable access to drinking water, which is essential for the health and sustainable development of the region. ‘I am confident that the actions of these two projects will lead to improved management of water resources in this region,’ he said.
This video gives an impression of the official launch workshop:
