Bale: A network is raising the alarm about the resurgence of "foundlings" or newborns abandoned by their mothers. The Bal© Child Protection Network (RPE-Bal©) held its first general assembly of the year on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Boromo. The opening ceremony was presided over by the High Commissioner of the province, Martin Bako.

According to Burkina Information Agency, during the day of exchange, the RPE and its partners attended a presentation on foundlings, exchanged ideas on effective mechanisms for member contributions to child protection, before reviewing the network's activities and updating its program of activities. The Bal© child protection network aims to improve its commitment to child protection. To this end, the new coordinator, Moussa Sanou, deputy prosecutor of Faso at the Boromo High Court, convened stakeholders for the first general assembly of the year, which is also the first under his leadership.

The meeting mobilized local administrative authorities, judicial authorities, the security forces, agents from the provincial directorate of family and solidarity, associations working in child protection, and customary and religious leaders. Presiding over the opening ceremony, High Commissioner Martin Bako congratulated the stakeholders for their commitment to child protection while urging them not to lower their guard in the face of the many challenges related to the security context and the resurgence of child exploitation and trafficking networks.

Gathered in the meeting room of the cotton growers of the province of Bal©, the members of the network and their partners devoted a significant part of the agenda to communication on the "situation of foundlings," a phenomenon which, according to the provincial directorate of family and solidarity, is becoming increasingly common in the province of Bal©, with 25 foundlings between 2022 and 2026.

The work of the RPE general assembly also focused on discussions on effective mechanisms for member contributions to child protection, reviewing the network's activities and updating its program of activities. Thus, during the year 2025, the RPE, with the support of its partners, was able to carry out, in terms of activities, 3 educational talks, 2 film debates, 9 monthly meetings, and a general assembly.

For the current year, network members intend to do more. During this meeting, stakeholders in the intervention chain reaffirmed their commitment to working for child protection. In addition, they launched an appeal for a general mobilization of the different socio-professional strata and associative structures and other partners to join and support them, because according to the coordinator of the RPE, Moussa Sanou, the protection of children must be the business of the whole community.

A synergy of actions remains essential to guarantee every child a protective environment and a secure future, he concluded.