PARTICIPATION
No development without citizen participation! This is Solidar Suisse’s conviction. To achieve this, the organization targets three groups of actors: municipal councillors, civil society organizations and grassroots populations.
Make municipal and regional councillors and the Osc real players in development
Competent advisors, the driving force behind quality local governance
In 2006, Burkina Faso embarked on full communalization. 351 communes, decentralized territorial entities, were created along the geographical boundaries of the national territory. They correspond to the territories of the departments. Full communalization implies the transfer of a range of competencies from the State to the local authority. It also means that local development is taken in hand by grassroots populations, who now vote in their councillors to manage the local authority. However, many local councillors are still unaware of their role and responsibilities. Solidar Suisse provides training for local councillors in the twenty communes of the Plateau Central region. The NGO equips them with skills in community operations, techniques for mobilizing local resources, fund-raising within the framework of decentralized cooperation, the structure of the communal budget, the need to be accountable to the population for their management, and so on.
CSOs that challenge the authorities and monitor public action.
Solidar Suisse strengthens the capacities of civil society organizations in terms of citizen monitoring of municipal action, participation in drawing up municipal development plans, etc. Civil society organizations play an important role in challenging and monitoring public action. They are involved in drawing up and implementing communal development plans. They also remind communal authorities of their duty of accountability. Indeed, alert CSOs are a guarantee of effective citizen control of public action.
Well-informed populations, demystified democracy
Relay animators to improve community political life
Well-informed citizens involved in community political life are sentinels of local democracy. Solidar Suisse, in partnership with CSOs, deploys outreach workers in the field to raise people’s awareness of the realities of democracy and participation: why vote, what to expect from those in power, how to challenge them… These and many other topics are discussed with the local population. Increasingly vigilant citizen control ensures that democracy is strengthened.
Helping communities meet the needs of their populations
Many communities in Burkina Faso do not always have the means to provide basic public services for their populations. Solidar Suisse has supported the most disadvantaged town halls with office equipment and supplies, as well as solar kits to enable them to function more effectively.
Solidar Suisse is committed to increasing the participation of local populations in electoral processes and local development. This mission continued during the period of political transition with the Délégations Spéciales (DS) set up to replace the municipal councils dissolved following the popular uprising of October 2014.
Some results obtained with our partners
More than 31,000 people sensitized to themes linked to local governance and citizen participation by relay animators from 2013 to 2015;
7 disadvantaged communes equipped with office equipment and supplies and solar kits to improve public service provision….;
71.7% average satisfaction rate of the population in the communes of the Central Plateau with basic public services, compared with 62.9% before 2015;399 households have regularized their matrimonial situation in compliance with the Individual and Family Code following awareness-raising campaigns.
