On June 19 in Fada, in the eastern region of Burkina Faso, the association SOS/Jeunesse et Défis officially launched the activities of the "Protecting Future Generations" project to end female genital mutilation and early marriage. This project is coordinated by Equipop and implemented in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The "Protecting Future Generations" project is part of an initiative to promote the abandonment of female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage (EM). Ultimately, it aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of girls and women in the Kayes region of Mali and the Fada N'Gourma region of Burkina Faso. To achieve this, the associations will work with young people to strengthen and promote the abandonment of excision and early marriage by 2020. In Mali, advocacy will be carried out to ensure that a law prohibiting FGM is passed and implemented, while in Burkina Faso, awareness-raising activities will be organized to convince 60 villages to abandon these practices.
Speaking on this issue, Célestin Compaoré, Executive Director of SOS/JD, reminded the audience of this context before inviting the facilitators present to commit fully to the elimination of female genital mutilation and child marriage in the Eastern region. "I am counting on you and your determination to make people understand the consequences of female genital mutilation and early marriage on the lives of their children and, more generally, on the population of the East and Burkina Faso,"he added. Following on from him, Ballo Ibrahima, program manager atAMSOPT in Mali, a long-standing partner of the project in that country, expressed his delight at seeing the country of the Men of Integrity join Mali in eradicating these practices, before adding: "I am here to share [with you] (editor's note) the successes, but also, without hesitation, the failures ."
A new project supported by the authorities
For Ms. Ursule Taro/Sanon, representing the Permanent Secretary of the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for the Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation (SP/CNLPE), this project fits perfectly into the National Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, adding that "the entire permanent secretariat is available to support the implementation of the PPG project to achieve zero tolerance for female genital mutilation in Burkina Faso."
This commitment to combating female genital mutilation and early marriage is also supported by the Regional Director for Women, National Solidarity, and Family Affairs for the Eastern Region. He has affirmed his determination to support those involved in implementing the PPG project in order to "guarantee better living conditions for girls and women in the Eastern region so that they can participate in the socio-economic development of the region."
Start of activities: capacity building for facilitators
[vc_gallery interval= »3″ images= »27100,27099″ img_size= »large »]After the opening ceremony, the project facilitators were mobilized for a three-day capacity-building workshop. The aim of this workshop was to strengthen the skills of the facilitators and two supervisors in promoting the abandonment of FGM and MP. Through role-playing, presentations on interpersonal communication, and lectures on conceptual clarifications such as early marriage, FGM, and current legislation in Burkina Faso, participants were equipped to carry out information, awareness-raising, and advocacy activities with a view to changing behaviors in the various areas covered by the project.
This initial training will be followed in July by two further training sessions in Fada and Diapaga for community leaders. Starting in August, the eight facilitators will carry out communication activities aimed at changing behavior, with each one responsible for five villages.
