Mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 for internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is undergoing an extreme socioeconomic crisis due to armed conflicts. Attacks by extremists and a patchwork of other armed groups have now uprooted one million people, displacing farmers from their land and leaving crops rotting in fields and granaries. These internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in close quarters and have weakened immunity due to severe food shortages, making them highly susceptible to contracting and spreading COVID-19.

Above: CAPTION


Partners

Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG)

The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH)

Akvo


Locations

Burkina Faso


Sector

Water


Services

Remote data collection

 


Tools

Akvo Flow

 

The challenge

The government is planning to mitigate and prevent the impacts of COVID-19 through the provision of improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for the IDPs and health care facilities in seven regions of Burkina Faso.

Training staff in water quality testing, Dedougou, Burkina Faso.

The solution

Akvo is directly supporting this programme by:

  • Developing an online platform for implementing NGOs/partners to self-report their activities from the field,
  • Conducting vulnerability surveys to inform COVID-19 response,
  • Conducting third party monitoring for the implementing partners, and
  • Testing and monitoring the water quality of the health facilities and IDP locations

The change

By targeting internally displaced persons for improved WASH services and health care facilities, the effects of COVID-19 can be mitigated, and prevented, for those who are most at risk.