2019 in Review
A year of evolution
2019 in Review
A year of evolution
2019 was trying. 2019 presented obstacles we never expected and had never encountered. 2019 was a year of terrible loss across Burkina Faso, as the country’s security and humanitarian situations worsened. Despite this new reality, 2019 was a year of momentous learning and growth for Initiative: Eau. Below we’ve detailed some of our key milestones over the year, contextualized with notable events in-country.
Key moments
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01 December 2018
I:E expatriate staff evacuated
Due to security concerns, Initiative: Eau's expatriate staff members were evacuated from their posts at our West Africa Regional Office in Fada N'Gourma to Ouagadougou.
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31 December 2018
State of Emergency Declared
The Government of Burkina Faso declared a State of Emergency in the Sahel and East regions and five other provinces due to rising insecurity. The declaration restricted freedom of movement, allowed for curfews, authorized the search of personal property and domiciles at any time, among several other emergency powers. This State of Emergency is still in effect.
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01 January 2019
Addition of Three New Directors
Our Board of Directors voted to confirm the addition of Vlad Danciu, Humphreys Munai, and Swarandeep Singh to the organization's governing body, each for two-year terms. Their addition strengthened Initiative: Eau's capacity to adapt to the rapidly evolving situation in Burkina Faso and its implications for our programs. Read our press release here.
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19 February 2019
Progress report on Study IE17B1 with local partners
At the midpoint of our study IE17B1 on drinking water service functionality, quality, and reliability in Fada N'Gourma, we organized a presentation with our local partners to report on the study's progress. During the presentation, we made preliminary recommendations to reinforce drinking water services in the city. Read media coverage of the presentation by national media company Sidwaya here.
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28 February 2019
CEO participates in roundtable organized by U.S. Ambassador to Burkina
Initiative: Eau's CEO was invited by U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso Andrew Young to participate in a partner roundtable discussion with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for West Africa and Security Affairs Whitney Baird. The discussion focused on the deteriorating security situation across the country. Our CEO highlighted the unique circumstances of the East and the security crisis' impact on our work.
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08 March 2019
Curfew declared in the East Region
The Government of Burkina Faso declared a curfew across the East region, including in Fada N'Gourma. The curfew lasted from 7pm to 6am, daily. It was intended to facilitate Burkinabè armed forces activity in the region.
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18 March 2019
Study IE17B1 Preliminary Report Released
Following incorporation of input from our local partners, we publicly released our Study IE17B1 Preliminary Report. The report presented study findings to-date and preliminary recommendations to improve drinking water services in Fada N'Gourma. At the time, the report was our largest achievement. The report is available here.
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31 March 2019
Clashes in Arbinda (Sahel region) kill 62
Violent extremists carried out a deadly attack in Arbinda (Sahel Region), resulting in 32 deaths. Communal clashes between the Foulsé and Fulani ethnic groups sparked by the attack resulted in an additional 30 lives lost. Government armed forces intervened to prevent further violence. Read the New York Times article about the incident here.
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03 April 2019
Report on water sachet quality published with CENOZO
Initiative: Eau was engaged by a journalist with the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO) to conduct a study of the quality of water sold in sachets in Ouagadougou. Published by national media company Omega BF, our analysis revealed a number of water quality concerns. Sachet water represents a main source of drinking water for many urban Burkinabè. The article can be accessed here.
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10 April 2019
Kidnapping of NGO agent in the East region
An agent from a national NGO was abducted in the village of Dagou (Gourma Province), approximately 80km from our office in Fada N'Gourma. The agent was released the following day. It was the first kidnapping of an NGO agent in the East Region.
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16 April 2019
Presentation on Study IE17B1 at U.S. Embassy Ouaga
To present our preliminary findings from Study IE17B1 to the central government and international community, we organized a presentation of the report at the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou. During the presentation, we highlighted findings and recommendations relevant for cities across Burkina Faso.
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10 May 2019
I:E receives grant from the Roddenberry Foundation
Initiative: Eau was awarded 10 025 USD for project H2O-reinforce.fada, a project to improve drinking water infrastructure monitoring and maintenance capacity through the training and responsibilization of local groups in Fada N'Gourma, by the Roddenberry Foundation. The project aims to reduce water pump breakdowns in the city by 66%. The project is additionally supported by grants from U.S. Embassy Ouaga and the International Foundation. Read our press release here.
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24 May 2019
CEO meets with Burkina Faso's Ambassador to the UN
Our CEO met with Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Yemdaogo Eric Tiaré in New York to present Initiative: Eau, our mission, and our activities. The intent of the meeting was to strengthen relations and explore opportunities for collaboration with the Permanent Mission. Discussion topics included safe water access equality and Burkina's security situation. Read our press release here.
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17 June 2019
CEO authors article on violent extremism in Burkina
Given the rapid evolution of the security and humanitarian situations in Burkina Faso, our CEO authored an article on the role that basic services, like drinking water, must play in any response to the crises at hand. Read the article here.
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01 July 2019
Youssouf Zongo joins the I:E Burkina team
Youssouf Zongo joined our West Africa Regional Office in Fada N'Gourma as a Project Officer. Prior to joining Initiative: Eau, Youssouf worked with Association IQRA and Handicap Solidaire Burkina Faso. He holds a Masters in Law from New Dawn University in Ouagadougou. See his full profile here.
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10 July 2019
H2O-reinforce.fada technical workshops begin
In the context of our project H2O-reinforce.fada, we organized a series of technical workshops with local governance committees from the city of Fada N'Gourma. During the workshops, our team tought the committees how to do preventative water pump maintenance and equip them with the necessary materials to do so. In doing so, we enabled these committee members to proactively safeguard their drinking water supplies through simple, cost-effective actions. Watch video coverage of the material handover event by national media company RTB here.
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10 July 2019
I:E engaged by USAID/Chemonics to conduct study in Arbinda
Given difficult access to Arbinda to repair broken drinking water infrastructure, Chemonics International funded by USAID engaged Initiative: Eau to conduct a study in Arbinda on high-value drinking water infrastructure. The study was designed to identify resources and strategies to increase safe water access from within the community itself. The study ran from July to November, with a contract value of 41 000 USD.
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30 July 2019
I:E confirmed as signatory of the UN Global Compact
Initiative: Eau was confirmed as a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations pact formed on 26 July 2000 to promote responsible business practices and UN values among the global business community and the UN System. Read our press release here.
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17 August 2019
His Majesty Kupiendieli, King of Gulmu, dies
The 31st King of Gulmu, a customary kingdom of nearly 1.8 million people covering parts of Burkina, Niger, Togo, and Benin, Kupiendieli passed at 84. The King ruled from 2002 until his death. Read our CEO's communiqué of condolenceshere.
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14 October 2019
I:E engaged by UNICEF to conduct study in Gourma and Sissili Provinces
Initiative: Eau was engaged in consortium with the Institute of Population Sciences of the University of Ouagadougou by UNICEF to conduct a "Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices" study on water quality in Burkina's Gourma and Sissili provinces. The study supports a UNICEF project designed to implement water safety plans in rural Burkinabè villages. The study runs from October 2019 to January 2020, with a contract value of 41 000 USD.
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06 November 2019
Violent extremist attack on mine in the East kills 37
An attack perpetrated by violent extremists against a convoy of Burkinabè employees of the Canadian mining company SEMAFO resulted in 37 deaths. The incident was the deadliest single attack in recent years. Read the New York Times article about the incident here.
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15 November 2019
I:E announced as 2019 Top-Rated Charity by GreatNonprofits
GreatNonprofits named Initiative: Eau a Top-Rated Charity for 2019 based on the rating and number of reviews that Initiative: Eau received from volunteers, donors and aid recipients. Read our press release here.
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27 November 2019
U.S. State Dept. raises Burkina Faso's travel advisory level to Level 4: "Do Not Travel"
Due to the degrading security situation in Burkina Faso, the U.S. Department of State increased the country's travel advisory level from Level 3 to Level 4 "Do Not Travel." Concurrently, the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou ordered the departure of children of American embassy personnel.
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03 December 2019
I:E raises 1 600 USD on #GivingTuesday
On the global day of giving, Initiative: Eau raised over 1 600 USD through the support of its community. These funds will be used to support Initiative: Eau's emergency response to the IDPs arriving in Fada N'Gourma, fleeing conflict in the East region.
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07 December 2019
Thousands of IDPs begin arriving in Fada N'Gourma
Due to violent extremists attacks in the areas surrounding the city, thousands of individuals fled their homes and sought refuge in the city of Fada N'Gourma. The number of IDPs in the city is now over 20 000.
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09 December 2019
UN OCHA reports more than 560 000 IDPs in Burkina Faso
The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reported that there are over 560 000 IDPs in Burkina Faso, an 11-fold increase since January 2019. The agency reports that there are over 600 000 people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance as the crisis in-country worsens.
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23 December 2019
CEO contributes to article on the situation in the East
Our CEO was interviewed regarding the current humanitarian situation and the government's response to the crisis in Burkina Faso's East region. Brooks commented on the difficulty for many NGOs working in Burkina to shift from acting as development actors to humanitarian actors. The article was published in the New Humanitarian. It is available here.
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24 December 2019
Christmas Eve attacks in Arbinda kills 35 civilians
A complex violent extremist attack in Arbinda resulted in 35 civilian deaths. Burkinabè armed forces are reported to have neutralized 80 radical fighters. The attack was revindicated by the Islamic State's West Africa Province. Read France 24's article on the incident here.
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26 December 2019
I:E report on water services in Arbinda released by USAID
Validated by USAID and Chemonics International, Initiative: Eau's report on drinking water service capacity in Arbinda was published in USAID's development document directory and shared with local and international humanitarian actors. The report is available here.