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Burkina Faso   Why children in Burkina Faso need your helpDespite some socio-economic progress in recent years, a large majority of Burkina Faso's children live in poverty, suffering from poor health, limited educational opportunities and growing up in dire living conditions. The country remains one of the five poorest in the world. Droughts, military coups, locust infestitations and large-scale outbreaks of illnesses such as yellow fever, cholera and meningitis have hampered the country's development, and the spread of HIV/AIDS is only adding further to Burkina Faso's woes. It is estimated that around 120,000 children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Childhood malnutrition is a major problem in Burkina Faso, and over 40 per cent of children suffer delayed or stunted growth. School enrolment rates are very low, especially for girls, and almost two thirds of young adults under the age of 24 years are unemployed. Country factsBurkina Faso achieved independence from France in 1960, but a series of military coups throughout the 1970s and 1980s hampered the country's development. Burkina Faso has made some economic gains since, but its high population density and limited natural resources have limited its potential.
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