Since the end of 2019, the whole world has been confronted with the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to spread. Burkina Faso recorded its first cases on March 09, 2020. Since then, the spread of the pandemic has been significant, with 632 cases and 42 deaths as of April 25, 2020, despite the preventive measures adopted by the government.
The Covid19 health crisis poses both health and socio-economic challenges of major proportions for mankind. It calls into question our habits, particularly our modes of operation, our economic system and our way of working. Enormous disruptions are being observed in the implementation of development activities, with major risks of postponement or non-implementation for some of them, which could have serious consequences on the daily existence of populations, particularly vulnerable ones. To meet these challenges, the world of development institutions and organizations, including Solidar Suisse Burkina, quickly adopted new strategies aimed not only at combating the pandemic, but also at continuing activities in the field.
The new strategy adopted by Solidar for the conduct of its activities is focused on 2 main areas: activities to combat covid19 and the implementation of traditional activities. This reorientation incorporates the government’s rules for combating Covid19 . These include: i) the compulsory wearing of masks, ii) a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, iii) curfews, iv) the quarantine of certain towns…etc.
Actions to help contain this health crisis
Digital tools will also be used, in particular the web platform (CIVITAC) for sharing prevention and awareness-raising experiences between partner municipalities.
Awareness-raising posters have been designed in national languages and will be distributed in literacy centers, town halls and other public places in rural areas, to enable people literate in local languages to also have access to useful information to better protect themselves against Covid19.
The posters will be distributed to Solidar Suisse partners and disseminated via the Solidar Suisse website (solidarburkina.bf), WhatsApp and our partners’ websites.
In addition to these actions, Solidar Suisse plans to distribute protective equipment (masks, hand-washing devices) to vulnerable populations in its intervention zone.
With the quarantine of many of the regions where Solidar Suisse projects are located, remote monitoring is a priority (testimonies, reports by CIVITAC correspondents, completion of monitoring forms and sending by email).
As the priority is to contain the health crisis, the staff of the Solidar Suisse office in Burkina Faso are strictly adhering to barrier measures.