Over 3,500 Beggars Receive Training for Socio-Professional Reintegration

Bobo-Dioulasso – In a significant move aimed at socio-professional reintegration, 3,577 individuals previously engaged in begging have been removed from the streets of Bobo-Dioulasso and are undergoing training in various income-generating activities.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Wendkuni Benjamin Ouédraogo, the initiative successfully reached numerous beggars, including 1,258 internally displaced persons and 1,173 foreigners. This information was reported by the daily Sidwaya. The reintegration program provided 132 young individuals, comprising 80 girls and 32 boys, with 22 training sessions covering skills such as sewing, dyeing, hairdressing, breeding, saponification, automobile mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, and micro-project finance.

Mr. Ouédraogo highlighted that the program’s vision focuses on promoting peace and providing constructive occupations for internally displaced persons in Farakoba through market gardening and agricultural production. This initiative was launched in October 2023 as a mid-term strategy to address the broader issues of displacement and begging in the city.

The reintegration efforts in Bobo-Dioulasso mirror a similar operation initiated in Ouagadougou on March 3, 2023. Minister in charge of humanitarian action and family, Nandy Somé, described the initiative as essential for removing beggars from public spaces, providing educational opportunities for children, and ensuring the protection of all individuals on the territory. According to Minister Somé, these efforts are part of the state’s comprehensive response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.