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Aide et Action,
France’s leading
sponsorship organisation
for education development,
is a non religious
and apolitical organisation.
It’s recognised as being
of Public Service.
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> NEWS |
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Burkina Fasso: Joint Program between ActionAid and Aide et Action; Food Aid on the Menu
(July 28, 2005)
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The team responsible for the joint program between ActionAid and Aide et Action will host from July 26 to 28, 2005 in Ouagadougou a national conference to debate and raise public awareness on how education could contribute to improve the quality of nutrition. |
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The ultimate aim of the national workshop lies in mobilizing the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in finding an efficient and enduring solution to food shortage in Burkina Faso. For 72 hours between July 26 and 28, the participants from Niger, Ghana and Burkina will exchange their views on the current state of food production in Burkina Faso, and define a strategy on both regional and international levels.
Moreover, the participants will discuss the main problems concerning the food supply, as well as ways to support public organizations in influencing the national and international policy.
After this workshop, in which the opening ceremony was presided by the technical counsellor of MEBA, Jean-Paul Bazié, the OSC participants will be equipped with the necessary tools to negotiate with government officials. Mr. Bazié highlighted the fact that “a stable and sustaining food production for us, means ensuring a daily supply of bread for all, in ordinary quantities and qualities, without fearing for the future”.
Commenting upon the discussion topics, the minister’s representative reiterated that, when examining the crises more closely, the problems facing food supply draws many parallels to those facing education, in terms of access, quality, management and improving the operating capabilities. He added, “The challenge to guarantee children access to education is closely linked to the food crisis. That is to say, providing education also means providing children with in-school meals. There must be sufficient food production not only for students, but also for all citizens”.
In order to secure a stable and lasting food production in Faso, Mr. Bazié believes that thoughtful planning is the key to efficient resource allocation that prevents the unhealthy cycle of abundance and shortage – improving productive capacity, stockpiling, and anticipating an array of disasters are all necessary. Bazié underlines the need to define and abide by a set of standards, to evaluate carefully the impact of food on the health of the population, to guarantee the quality of the nutrition and to ensure a good level of hygiene.
Influencing the Public Policy
Mr. Bazié reiterated the importance of the civil society in political discourse. The technical advisor of the minister emphasized, “The civil society must play its role in the political dialogue, in order to influence the parliament’s actions and contribute to influencing public policy.
As access to food is one of the fundamental human rights, Mr. Bazié maintained that there would be no quality education without sufficient food supply. For the director of the Aide et Action program, Adjimon Affo Koffi, his team is responsible of executing the strategy on maintaining a stable food supply. This project covers the period 2004-2008.
The goal of the project, according to M. Koffi, is to reinforce the capacity of the civil society in the southern countries, to lobby and to facilitate a dialogue on nutrition in the public network, including NGOs, the public institutions, the consumers, the producer associations and the women, directly or indirectly affected by hunger. |
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