From January 26 to 28, 2021, a workshop was held to design and launch the project "Women's Rights and Health in Burkina Faso: Preventing and Reducing Vulnerabilities in the Context of the Covid-19 Crisis and Post-Crisis." Three days of intense work culminated in an official project launch ceremony.
Implemented by a consortium of NGOs and associations, the project entitled "Women's Rights and Health in Burkina Faso: Preventing and Reducing Vulnerabilities in the Context of the Covid-19 Crisis and Post-Crisis" was officially launched on Thursday, January 28, 2021. It aims to empower the most vulnerable women and girls during the health crisis (COVID-19) by improving their leadership and providing holistic care for gender-based violence (GBV).
Ultimately, this project aims to empower women and strengthen their capacity for action so that they are more resilient in the face of crisis and become agents of change whose voices count in decision-making.
From the action design workshop to the launch ceremony
On January 26, 27, and 28, 2021, Equipop, the Association of Women Lawyers of Burkina Faso (AFJ_BF), Voix de Femmes (VdF), and Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme (IPBF) held a workshop to design the action plan and launch the project. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness of the project among all stakeholders and partners involved with a view to ensuring greater ownership, genuine involvement and synergy of actions.
Empowering Burkinabe women during the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis period
“Women’s rights and health in Burkina Faso: Preventing and reducing vulnerabilities in the context of the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis” will be rolled out in Burkina Faso over a two-year period. It will cover three regions—Centre, Centre-Nord, and Hauts-Bassins—and will reach more than 170,000 direct beneficiaries.
In concrete terms, the first step will be to ensure and improve holistic care (medical, legal, judicial, and psychological) for women survivors of gender-based violence within the context of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next step will be to empower women and girls to deal with the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19. This will be achieved by promoting the emergence of young girls and women leaders capable of bringing about significant and positive change among their peers and communities. Finally, the project will work to ensure that the rights of women and girls are integrated and that the specific needs of the most vulnerable girls and women are taken into account in the measures taken by policy makers in the response to the coronavirus.
