Population Council Research that makes a difference

Beginning in 1993, Burkina Faso has engaged in a vast program to reform its health system. In collaboration with partners to develop a national health plan, the minister of health launched an approach to engage NGOs working on the ground in the south-central region of the country in health activities. Following the project’s initiation in October 2008, the minister called for increased capacity-building to enable NGOs to deliver health services to individuals.

The Population Council assisted with these efforts, provided technical assistance in developing a plan of action for community-based organizations, and helped facilitate the recruitment of community-based organizations in a four-stage process that included forming contacts with local authorities to recruit organizations; establishing a committee to review applications; analyzing applications and selecting candidates based on pre-established criteria; and evaluating the capacities of the ten organizations that were eventually chosen.

The Council’s involvement in these activities encouraged the engagement of local political authorities in the process of establishing a stronger and more integrated health system. The project also demonstrated the enormous capacity of community-based organizations to collaborate in the region and to better organize in the future.

Banner photo: © Beryl Goldberg