Integrated Water Use for Livelihoods in Crisis-affected Burkina Faso

In Northern Burkina Faso, access to clean water is lower than the national average (56% against 63%). Limited water is available for economic activities such as pastoralism and small-holder agriculture is fueling poverty and insecurity. Armed conflict and climate stress are reducing the viability of dryland livelihoods and increasing the number of displaced people into other states. The objective of this project was to integrate water resource management (and resilience) in a cross-cutting way: through water treatment and provision, agricultural livelihoods, and WASH using a social arts approach innovated by the One Drop Foundation of the famed Cirque du Soleil.

The project was a collaboration between Cowater International, the Canadian mining firm IAMGOLD Corporation, One Drop Foundation and the government of Burkina Faso and the Community of Dori. The project included a broad base of research and action focused on three main areas: (1) the provision of treated water to the town of Dori in the volatile Sahel region; (2) a series of agricultural and pastoralist entrepreneurial projects to help expand livelihood options in a rapidly evolving context of conflict and (3) a set of Social Arts activities using theatre to improve behaviour change and health outcomes associated with WASH.

The project tackled key needs for over 75,000 people during a five-year period of rapid decline in the security situation of the country. Specific results from the project include the following:

• Construction in close collaboration with the National Water and Sewerage Authority (ONEA) of a 230 m3/h treatment plant to supply drinking water to more than 60,000 people in the Northern Sahel region.
• Construction of more than 1,700 household latrines and 35 community latrine blocks promoting the elimination of open defecation for more than 12,000 people.
• Adoption of good hygiene practices such as handwashing with soap and water at critical times by more than 16,000 people using a combination of the Community Led Total Sanitation and Social Art for Behaviours Change approaches.
• The institutionalization of community-based management systems to improve access to drinking water, based on the principles of inclusive governance with 26 water user associations.
• Economic empowerment of women’s associations and farmer’s cooperatives, comprising over 830 people, that saw a 67% increase in their income.

Throughout the project, the principles of government engagement with local and national authorities and direct work with women’s organisations was key for longer term sustainability.

This project highlights the value of engagement with a wide array of development partners, including the extractive industry, local government and artists. Development challenges are complex, and increasingly, projects are expected to integrate multiple levels of engagement to succeed. A single sector approach may reveal important lessons, but broader engagement is necessary to provide more options for sustainable livelihoods. This is especially the case in fragile states such Burkina Faso.

Key lessons include:

• Embrace engagement with public and private entities as well as civil society
• Work across sectors influenced by water and avoid a narrow view – notably agriculture and health