LVIA’s presence in Burkina Faso

LVIA has been present in Burkina Faso since 1972. At the time, an agreement with the Ouagadougou Diocese permitted the launch of a series of development projects in the sub-prefecture of former Ziniaré, currently Oubritenga Province, whose principal city is about thirty kilometers from the capital. The first action, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on a series of integrated rural development activities.

The following sectors are concerned:

health sector: construction of a dispensary, help with vaccination campaigns, nursing education, and public education (especially for mothers) on matters of hygiene and nutrition.
agriculturalsector: construction of wells, trails and dikes, and organizing training for farmers.

The project, launched in 1972, had its financing renewed in 1979, and again at the end of 1983. In 1976, given the results of the activities led over these years, LVIA received authorization from the government of Burkina Faso to introduce and complete these development projects on a national scale.

The completion of two integrated development programs, entrusted to LVIA by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented a key step in LVIA’s thirty-year presence in the country. These programs have proved to be particularly effective because of the way they are awarded (the ministry selected LVIA based on results attained up to that period), the content of actions taken, and especially the total amount of budget managed.

Environnement education in the Recycling Plastic Center of Ouagadougou

The first project was in Oubritenga Province. It took place in partnership with the Burkina Faso Ministry of Agriculture and was conducted in two phases from 1984 to 1994. The second was in the Boulgou and Koulpelogo Provinces, and took place from 1997 to 2002, in cooperation with the Burkina Faso Ministry of Animal Resources.

Since 1997, LVIA has expanded operations to encompass the entire country. In fact, beginning that year, LVIA launched a series of projects not just in Oubritenga, but in other provinces in the country:

from 1997 to 2002, there was the project noted above focusing on the Nouhao Valley;
beginning in November 2001, and over three consecutive years, LVIA directed a project helping to decentralize health care in the Nanoro district, in the Boulkiémdé Province, in cooperation with the Camillians and with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
in December of the same year, the food security project was launched, affecting four provinces in the central northern region, in cooperation with ASK (a farming support organization) and with financial assistance (90%) from the European Union. After an extension of six months over the planned period, the project was completed in December 2004;
In October 2002, LVIA stepped up to lead 4 Italian NGOs in an institutional support program for peasant organization in Burkina Faso. This 12-month program affecting the whole country was financed entirely by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the CBT;
during 2005, financial support in the amount of €100,000 was raised by several Tuscan villages, permitting LVIA to construct the Godo dam in the Nanoro Department (Boulkiémdé Province);
finally, plans to collect plastic waste in the city of Ouagadougou, financed in part by the World Bank and in part by Piedmont and the City of Turin, has been completed.

In addition to these initiatives, LVIA has supported and continues to support several food security and craft development microprojects in Burkina Faso, financed by the Piedmont Region and the pastoral social and work council of the Piedmont Diocese.