• Burkina Faso
  • Resources
  • Social Services

Aid for the most vulnerable people

AIDS

Social development is seen as part of human development and it is also sometimes equated with social protection.

In Burkina Faso, the structure that deals with the social issue is Social Action and the various Ministries.

Social protection is defined as the set of interventions that aim to support individuals, women and communities in their efforts to manage the risks they face in order to reduce their vulnerability and achieve greater social equity.

In Burkina Faso, it is recognized that the following social groups are the most vulnerable: the elderly, the disabled, children in particularly difficult circumstances, widows and widowers, the socially excluded, displaced persons, refugees or disaster victims. , the unemployed, victims of HIV-AIDS, workers in the informal sector, subsistence farmers.

These people mostly represent target groups of the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity

These objectives are therefore consistent with the Strategic Framework for the Fight against Poverty (CSLP), particularly in its second axis which stipulates: “guarantee access of the poor to basic social services and social protection”.

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE NATIONAL SOCIAL ACTION POLICY is underpinned by nine (09) guiding principles which are:

1-Respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights. It guarantees the free development of the personality of any person and respect for their integrity, private life, intimacy and security.

2-Universality. Each person has the right to social assistance under the conditions provided for by law, taking into account their aspirations and basic needs, regardless of their religious and political affiliation, social status and sex.

3-Solidarity. To maintain and strengthen social cohesion, the community must actively contribute to mutual aid and assistance to people who cannot provide for their social needs on their own.

4-Subsidiarity. It is first of all up to the grassroots communities to guarantee the social needs of their members. The State must intervene when the local initiative has not succeeded in totally or partially satisfying the said needs.

5-Partnership. Actors from the public and private sectors, civil society as well as bilateral and multilateral partners must work in synergy for the organization and development of social services.

6-The valorization of the family. As the basic cell of society, the family remains a fundamental social institution, guaranteeing the security, well-being, protection and cohesion of its members. Also, it must be safeguarded, promoted and its capacities reinforced.

7-The gender approach. Taking the gender dimension into account is at the center of social concerns with a view to reducing the often wide gap between men and women in various fields such as health, education and literacy, access to credit, participation in national political life, etc.

8-Participation Social advancement is first and foremost a question of personal commitment and a predisposition to resolutely change one's situation. The principle of participation is fundamental to the success of social programs. Thus, the participation of the beneficiaries in the design, implementation and evaluation of the actions undertaken in their favor must be favored and valued.

9-Equalization of opportunities In any society there are human differences which can be linked to factors such as age, gender, disability, etc. Since human beings are in principle equal, discrimination based on these factors is unacceptable. It is up to society to take these differences into account by adopting appropriate measures and tolerant and constructive attitudes.

Contacts