Burkina Faso Regional Program Bi-Weekly Report April 20 - May 03, 2019

The program has 62 cleared activities, totaling $2,140,654, and 36 activities pending, totaling $1,763,709. Social Inclusion and Religious Tolerance for a Better Life in the Sahel region is a key focus of the BFRP. In November 2019, the program worked with a faith-based community organization to organize an awareness-raising campaign on social exclusion and religious tolerance. The campaign involved CVE training for moderate and respected religious and customary leaders, who developed messages related to peace, the consequences of social exclusion and stigmatization, living together, and forgiveness. The event, which took place over three days, attracted more than 400 participants from 15 villages, including 150 women. The participants represented every social strata, including majority and minority ethnic and religious groups, as well as customary, women, and youth leaders. Given the volatile security context, the grantee partnered with Defense and Security Forces to ensure the safety and security of participants. Following the event, participants were encouraged to share these messages in their respective communities and networks to counter violent extremist rhetoric. Safety in Numbers - Group Harvest in Nord Communes is another key initiative of the BFRP. Insecurity and VEO attacks have made it difficult for farmers to access their fields, leading to growing food insecurity and potential economic hardship for local communities. With the raining season coming to an end, the BFRP seized upon this opportunity to support communities and mobilized communities in target communes affected by VEO presence and threats. The program worked with a local network of farmers to organize neighborhood groups to improve access to fields during the critical cultivation season. This network set up groups of 15 volunteers to help farmers harvest their fields in groups and reduce the amount of time spent in the fields where they would be vulnerable to VEO attacks or threats. During the harvest period, this activity mobilized over 600 volunteers covering 40 villages. Many farmers affirmed that without this assistance, they would have been unable to harvest their crop, contributing to additional economic hardship and food insecurity. A Local Council for Social Cohesion in the Nord region is another community-focused initiative of the BFRP. Recent VEO attacks have increased the climate of mistrust and stigmatization within local communities, especially between farmers and breeders. To strengthen social cohesion and help different ethnic and religious groups discuss the marginalization of certain groups and the importance of living together in peace, the BFRP worked with a faith-based community organization composed of youth to set up a local council for social cohesion. The council has 25 members representing five different villages and composed of the different ethnic groups present in each village. The members of the council received training to raise their capacities as leaders promoting inter-ethnic dialogue and social cohesion. The BFRP's CVE programming in Burkina Faso aims to promote social inclusion, religious tolerance, and community cohesion in the face of violent extremism. By supporting local initiatives and community-led projects, the program seeks to build resilience and promote peaceful coexistence among different ethnic and religious groups.