Project Database

EFAIDS Programme

Country:	Burkina Faso
Start Date:	2006-06-01
Deadline:	2010-12-31
Host organisations:	Syndicat National des Enseignants Africains du Burkina (SNEAB) Syndicat National des Enseignants du Secondaire et du Supérieur (SNESS) Fédération des Syndicats de l'Enseignement du Burkina (FESEB) Syndicat national des travailleurs de l'Education et de la recherche (SYNTER)
Co-operating organisations:	Education International (EI) World Health Organisation (WHO) Education Development Center (EDC)
Related Links:	Etude sur la manifestation et l'ampleur du VIH/SIDA chez les enseignants et son impact sur l'offre et la demande en éducation
Grouping:	EI Education For All-HIV/AIDS Prevention (EFAIDS) Programme

This project is still in progress.

Project Summary:

SNEA-B and SNESS participate in the EFAIDS programme since 2006. In 2008 a further 2 teacher unions (FESEB and SYNTER) joined the programme. The four teacher unions work together on the EFAIDS programme in Burkina Faso since 2008.

Activities in 2008

The four teacher unions in Burkina Faso succeeded in strengthening their cooperation and working towards a common goal. In 2008, training has helped to build the capacity of members and inform them about Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), while through research the union estimates that HIV prevalence among teachers is higher than the national average.

A focus on training enabled the unions to train some 2,200 teachers in 750 schools during 2008. Therefore to date the Burkinabe unions have achieved an impressive outreach, training 600 trainers and 7,000 teachers in almost 3,000 schools. Training in 2008 covered the use of the new EFAIDS material as well as a discussion on the 2008 EFA Global Monitoring Report and sharing the outcomes of the unions’ study on the HIV prevalence among the teaching community. The EFAIDS coordinator from Côte d’Ivoire participated in the national training of trainers in the framework of the union regional cooperation and shared his experience with the colleagues from Burkina Faso.

Within the framework of their year-round advocacy, unions also participate in CCEB, a network of associations and NGOs active in the field of basic education (‘Cadre de Concertation des Associations et ONG actives en éducation de Base – CCEB’). This partnership with NGOs and coordination with the Ministry of Basic Education and Literacy serves to share and unite actions for more successful results in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the promotion of EFA in the country.

With half of primary age children out of school, EFA in Burkina remains elusive despite gains in enrolment. In 2008, free primary education was established and fees for secondary school were halved. The unions ongoing work aims to contribute to improved access and quality, and union advocacy will be stepped up within the framework of the new reform of the education system.

The HIV prevalence rate has decreased from 6.5 percent in 2001 to 2.3 percent in 2007 according to UNAIDS figures. However, the population group most affected are girls between 13 and 24 years old with infection rate 5 to 8 times higher to boys of the same age and therefore the work of the unions on school-based HIV prevention education remains crucial to Burkina’s response to the AIDS crisis.

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Common Name:	Burkina Faso
Official Name:	Burkina Faso