Burkina Faso has worsened reaching precarious levels. According to the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 90% of children under-five are affected by anaemia. Acute undernutrition (wasting) has increased from 13% to 18.6% (more than 450,000 children) over the past ten years indicating an alarming situation well above the WHO highest threshold.
Similarly, the prevalence of stunting and underweight increased during the same period, from respectively 31% and 30% to 39% and 38%.
Following recent studies promoted by the World Bank together with UNICEF, WHO and WFP on the malnutrition trend in Burkina Faso, a joint Government/UNICEF/FAO/WFP nutrition and food security assessment mission was conducted in September 2006.
The mission identified inadequate food consumption, i.e. insufficient quantity and poor quality; and morbidity (diarrhoea, respiratory infection, fever, etc) as the immediate causes of these high levels of undernutrition.
Despite the relatively good cereal production during the past five years, seasonal food insecurity and frequent crop losses in the northern and eastern regions further increase the vulnerability of the undernourished population groups.
The Government, recognizing the precarious health and nutrition situation, has been increasing the number of health facilities and personnel in the attempt to improve public health coverage. However capacities and resources have not been sufficient to reverse the negative trend.
Although the poor nutrition situation characterizes all regions in Burkina Faso, the mission identified five regions (Sahel, North, Centre-north, East and South-west) where the problem is particularly acute. The situation in four of the five regions is further aggravated by their vulnerability to recurrent cereal production shortfalls.
To address the acute undernutrition situation a PRRO focussing on 426,000 children under three and 242,500 undernourished pregnant and lactating women in the five most affected regions is required.
This operation will be part of the WFP/UNICEF regional strategy for the northern Sahel countries elaborated in 2006, which consists in responding to the high levels of undernutrition in coordination with the Government and with a strong mobilization of the UNCT and NGOs.
The objectives of the PRRO are to:
