Mouhoun: The municipality of Safan© hosted the municipal workshop for the institutional launch and engagement of stakeholders in the ARISE-Bankui project, an initiative aimed at eradicating open defecation in the area. The meeting was chaired by the first vice-president of the special delegation, Soar© S©r©. Faced with persistent challenges related to unsanitary conditions in rural areas, the municipality of Safan© has decided to take action by mobilizing its vital forces to put an end to open defecation thanks to the support of the ARISE-Bankui project.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the ARISE-Bankui project, implemented by the WaterAid-AMUS consortium and funded by the European Union through Enabel, spans a period of 18 months from December 2025 to July 2027. It aims to improve sustainable access to sanitation for 80,600 inhabitants of the communes of Safan© and Siby in the Bankui region, with a view to strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations.
The meeting brought together representatives from WaterAid, AMUS, the Safan© town hall, as well as the decentralized technical services of the State in charge of education, health, environment, and humanitarian action, in an atmosphere of consultation and commitment. According to Lamoudi Koadima, project manager at WaterAid Burkina Faso, the initiative aims to permanently eliminate the practice of open defecation, which is still widespread in rural areas.
To achieve this goal, the project relies on the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach, based on behavior change and community ownership, rather than on latrine subsidies. The program manager at WaterAid Burkina Faso, Saidou Savadogo, commended the villages already engaged in good hygiene and sanitation practices, before inviting all stakeholders to make Safan© the first FDAL-certified commune.
The organizers emphasized that the success of CLTS relies on strong institutional and community commitment. The workshop allowed leaders from pioneering villages to share their experiences with those in the process of joining, fostering skills transfer and collective mobilization. At the end of the discussions, all participants committed to leading the villages of the municipality towards FDAL status.
Through this collective commitment, Safan© is beginning a new era in sanitation, with the ambition of offering its people a healthier, more dignified living environment resolutely geared towards sustainable development. The date has already been set for May 2026 for the official declaration and certification of the first villages.