Active in Burkina Faso since 2006,  Doctors of the World (DotW) has continued to provide aid as this humanitarian crisis unfolded. Our team has provided support through comprehensive, free, quality care for children under 5 years of age with severe malnutrition in health centers and regional hospitals in the Sahel and Center-North. They further assist state health personnel in outpatient care and in data collection and analysis, and management of referrals, in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality. 

Another key focus point is the training of health personnel, the maintenance of medical and technical equipment in health centers. DotW also works to provide primary health care, including mental health care for survivors of gender-based violence, to the most vulnerable people in the Sahel region and in the neighboring North-Central region. 

To meet the needs of the population, in 2020 Doctors of the World opened a humanitarian emergency program in Kongoussi, in the center-north of Burkina Faso, where there is a shortage of care. This program consists of mobile clinics that provide free primary healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, as well as prevention and management of Gender-based Violence (GBV). Our efforts also focus on strengthening individual and community empowerment in terms of access to health rights. In 2021, DotW provided 103,764 medical consultations and treated 950 severely acute malnourished children. 

To help address this growing humanitarian crisis, Doctors of the World has received funding from the European Union this year of 800,000 euros, although the response of the international community is insufficient to meet the humanitarian needs from the country. It is crucial that the international community come to support Burkina Faso in their time of need. We must stand in support of Burkinabé communities, and work with them to resolve this crisis as quickly as possible.