Burkina Health Foundation - Burkina Faso
Delivering sustainable health care in Burkina Faso
The Burkina Health Foundation (BHF) is bringing vital community health care to the people of Burkina Faso
Years: 2019
Burkina Faso, Formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta, is a French-speaking, land-locked country in Sub Saharan West Africa with a population of over 17 million. In a poor country where quality health care is almost impossible to access, Burkina Health Foundation (BHF) works in partnership with the local community and others to create sustainable medical resources.
One in ten school children in the country have vision problems. By identifying school children with poor vision and providing them with spectacles, this project will have far-reaching benefits for the individual and society. There is evidence that restoring visual potential in children can improve their chance of completing their education, improve their personal development and ensure that they can contribute to society when they grow up.
The ALMT are supporting BHF to deliver a one-year pilot project, which will establish and train a screening team that can deliver regular and sustainable vision screening in government secondary schools in Bobo Dioulasso.
BHF proposes to pilot the screening in the Bobo area acting as external providers with an agreement with the Ministries of Health and Education and ensuring local human resources are trained to provide long-term sustainability to the project. The pilot will develop the systems that will allow BHF to scale up the screening to every school in Bobo Dioulasso, reaching 15,000 children.
(Photo courtesy of BHF/ Jesus Rocandio)
