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International Partnerships
Project

Restoring hope to displaced persons in the border areas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

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© United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs/Giles Clarke

This project aims to support vulnerable internally displaced persons (IDP) in one of the Sahel’s most displacement affected regions.

The multi-country, cross-border project is one of the first to be implemented under the Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility.

Scope and objectives

The activities will primarily support IDPs and their host communities in the border regions of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. They will target those whose needs are considered to be significant. The project will strengthen social cohesion among communities with a shared history, strong links and intercultural relations, but which have been separated by international borders. It aims to increase livelihood opportunities and access to education and health. It will also increase the sense of security for displacement-affected persons and the protection of their human rights.

In a region impacted by climate change, there is a strong emphasis on climate-smart agriculture and also a particular focus on youth and women.

The project has the potential to include refugees, where they are identified as vulnerable (currently, refugees in this region receive the majority of support from international actors).

Expected results

Increased income generation and livelihood opportunities through:

  • Strengthening the professional capacities of 1,050 vulnerable out-of-school displaced young people and promoting their socio-economic integration in host communities
  • Developing the capacity of 600 vulnerable women (300 of whom are displaced) to create and manage income-generating activities
  • Developing productive investments to benefit members of existing small farmer groups/cooperatives and integrating 300 displaced persons
  • Raising awareness of agro-ecology and other actions that promote the sustainable management of natural resources among host populations and displaced persons, bringing a direct impact on income and food security

Increased access to quality and integrated basic services by:

  • Placing 1,200 of the most vulnerable displaced children in school (75% in primary school, 25% in secondary school) and making sure their schooling is sustainable
  • Teaching 600 out-of-school IDPs literacy
  • Better informing displaced adolescents and pregnant and nursing women about reproductive health services and how to make full use of them

Increased feelings of safety and protection of human rights by:

  • Strengthening the capacities of host communities to effectively manage actions in favour of displaced people
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© United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs / Federica Gabellini

Context

The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity Grant Facility was founded in 2020.The facility aims to efficiently and effectively channel funding to promote development-oriented approaches to new, recurrent and protracted displacement crises. It supports refugees and other displaced persons to be productive members of their host communities who can participate in furthering their common resilience, socio-economic growth and development.

This multi-country project will be carried out by 3 local NGOs in close collaboration with local authorities and with the participation of displaced and host communities. It will also work with local educational facilities aiming to provide vocational training that can be accessed, and are recognised, regionally and across borders. This is particularly relevant given the high mobility of displaced persons in the region. This south-south partnership shows the LiD Grant Facility’s commitment to supporting a local response to displacement situations.

Implementing organisations

Groupe de Recherche et d’Appui pour l’Autopromotion des Populations en Afrique (GRAAP-Afrique) - Burkina Faso; Association Malienne pour la Promotion des Entreprises Féminines (AMAPEF) – Mali ; Organisation Appui au Développement Local (ADL) - Niger.