Helping street children
MSF helps children and youngsters living
on the streets of the capital, Ouaga -
dou ghou. Instead of operating from a
center, the team works on the streets in
close proximity to these children. Today,
the program reaches around 700 children
and 80 teenage girls. MSF's team carries
out 40 to 60 medical consultations and
various psychosocial activities each month.
MSF organizes meetings with teenage girls
to raise awareness about health issues
related to prostitution. It has also trained
local health groups to treat sexually transmitted
infections and started a medical
program for survivors of sexual violence.
Advocacy is a key part of MSF's work with
street children. Since August 2003, the
organization has held 65 information
sessions on the predicament facing these
young people. A total of 85,550 people
living around Ouagadougou have taken
part and watched the MSF movie "The
Streets Are Not Paradise." Information
sessions have also been held in schools
and at the national police academy. The
national television station has broadcast
the movie twice.
In the remote town of Sindou in Leraba
province, MSF advocates for improved
health care by raising awareness of health
issues among the residents and by supporting
their demands for quality care. MSF
focuses particularly on maternal and child health care. The team provides assistance
to seven regions in Sindou: Wolonkoto,
Bagera, Niassogon, Negueni, Oueleni,
Kangoura and Konadougou.
Burkina Faso is facing a growing AIDS epidemic.
In order to help those with the illness,
MSF runs a project to improve the
quality and duration of life for HIV-positive
people living in the health district of Pissy
in Ouagadougou. Now 1,300 patients are
enrolled in the program and receive
medical care for opportunistic infections.
A program to prevent mother-to-child
transmission of the virus started in January
2003 and is now operating in two maternity
centers. In April 2003, MSF started
providing life-extending antiretroviral
(ARV) treatment as well. By the end of
2004, MSF hopes to have 600 HIV-positive
patients enrolled.
In early 2004, MSF was able to help halt a
meningitis outbreak in the district of
Nanoro by vaccinating 135,000 people
against the less common W135 strain of
meningitis.
MSF has worked in Burkina Faso since 1995.
|
)
