DW’s actions in Burkina Faso

Main objective

To establish a capacity to meet housing needs, environmental challenges and the demands of administrative decentralisation, all based on the use of locally available human and physical resources.

The Oursi Beero museum built with  woodless construction –  a high quality DW building in Burkina Faso in 2005.

Development objectives

• To contribute to the development of the local economy and to poverty reduction;
• To reduce the pressure on the natural environment;
• To enhance local capacity to meet housing needs in a changing environment;
• To support the process of decentralisation through the use of local human and material resources;
• To develop practical skills in the field of housing, and notably woodless construction and related techniques;

To develop an institutional framework to ensure the economic and operational efficiency of the persons trained.

DW’s actions are based on :

• A response to requests for support and training coming from the villages and departments of the northern provinces of Burkina Faso.
• Public workshops held with communities to identify shelter, environment problems and social needs that can be met by developing local skills and the use of local material and human resources
• The offer of training programmes and support to people chosen by the participants during the workshops.
• Training in woodless construction skills for novice builders and technicians;
• Training assistance to women’s groups  particularly related to the production of ceramic products used in and on houses, including improving quality and reducing fuel consumption;
• Training for the setting up of economic interest groups to help trained people organise themselves for work.
• Technical assistance to provincial services;
• Collaboration with local authorities in the process of administrative decentralisation, helping develop infrastructure using local skills developed by DW.