Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) Supports Local Initiatives Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Burkina Faso

By: Farouck, Alejandra and Ibrahim

 

The five FON-supported organizations in Burkina Faso are:

• Sœurs Pour Sœurs/Tond Laa Taaba (SPS/TLT)
• Centre Pour La Promotion Du Développement Social (CeProDes)
• Association Communautaire Pour Le Bien-Être De L’enfant Et De La Femme (ABEFAB)
• Association Des Jeunes Femmes Entreprenantes Du Burkina (AJFEB)
• L’Association Pour La Bonne Gouvernance Et Le Développement Local A Tapoa (ABGDL)

 

These organizations benefit from flexible funding aimed at enhancing their organizational, institutional, and programmatic capacities. Beyond financial support, FON provides tailored assistance, exemplified by a visit from three FON team members from June 3rd to June 7th. The team conducted working sessions with the organizations, focusing on governance and strategic leadership, financial management, programmatic planning, monitoring, and advocacy.

“Our meetings with the CSO teams allowed us to better understand their challenges and needs,” said Alejandra of the FON team. “Working directly with the team members enabled us to offer concrete and individualized technical support, fostering the collaborative and partnership spirit of the FON project.”

Throughout the week, the FON team was supported by the Association pour le Bien-être de l’Enfant et la Femme (ABBEF), a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in Burkina Faso. ABBEF also participated in the final meeting with the FON-supported CSOs.

Additionally, the FON team met with the AFD agency in Burkina Faso. This meeting facilitated the sharing of project details, progress updates, and insights about the supported organizations. The AFD agency’s knowledge of the local context and key stakeholders proved invaluable.

“This experience was enriching for all of us, We have learned a lot from the great work that CSOs do with commitment and courage ” Ibrahim of the FON team added. “We will continue our support in various ways and look forward to receive progresses about their work.”

“Issues/challenges that the organizations face in financial management are mainly: financial sustainability, compliance & accountability, capacity building and risk management”, commented Farouck, FON Finance Lead.

FON’s ongoing commitment to these organizations underscores its dedication to eradicating gender-based violence through strong, flexible and strategic feminist civil society support.