Urgent help is needed!
Amidst terror attacks in Burkino Faso, many people are seeking safety in the already impoverished town of Nouna. Internally displaced people (IDP) number in the tens of thousands, including separated and unaccompanied children. IDPs and host families face enormous difficulties in many aspects of life, not the least of which is the lack of safe water and sanitary facilities. What little water there may be is not drinkable; it is unsafe, exposing the population to the risk of disease. Additionally, without access to bathrooms or latrines, the IDP population is forced to practice open defecation, compounding the risk of disease. This project to drill boreholes and build latrines is of great urgency!
The town of Nouna, which is host to overwhelming numbers of IDPs from villages, has been under an armed quasi-blockade since at least April 2023. The axis road that connects Nouna to Dedougou, has been severed. The transit companies that used to serve Nouna no longer do so due to the influence of armed groups along the axis road. Access to Nouna by road is characterized as “perilous,” and has led to the departure of most of the administrative and basic social services officials. It is said to be difficult to venture 5 kilometers from Nouna. Electricity lines were sabotaged by unidentified armed groups, which plunged the town into darkness circa July 2023. Unfortunately, the water and pipeline system to provide households with drinking water was connected to the electrical system. With no electricity, households no longer have water in their taps. The entire population of Indigenous and local communities, in addition to the over 10,000 IDPs, use the few boreholes that are in the town at water points. Accessing these comes with great difficulty due to long lines. The few who still had water at home are now seeing it dry up due to high demand. Sanitation is inadequately managed, and the water is not safe.
In collaboration with the Daughters of Charity International Project Services (DOC-IPS), and our in-country partners, we are in search of funding to complete seven boreholes, establishing access to reliable water, and for the construction of 10 latrines. This project will help alleviate some of the challenges being faced by the local community, the IDPs, and the refugees. Implementing properly managed sanitation facilities, safe water access points, and hygiene awareness will help reduce the risks of disease and death.
Access to WASH resources will help alleviate the challenges faced by Nouna due to the overwhelming Internally Displaced and refugee population. Improved WASH resources are critical to helping reduce the spread of illness and save lives!
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