Save The Children In Africa

West Africa
The countries of West Africa have suffered through civil war and chronic food emergencies, with the increased prevalence of children recruited as soldiers, exploited as labourers, or orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.
Save the Children Canada works in Burkina Faso and Mali where we focus on preventing the exploitation of boys and girls (child labour, street boys and girls), improving education services, promoting children's rights, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Our Programs in Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, since 1995 Save the Children Canada has supported non-formal education programs in various regions of the country. The main objective is to reinforce and develop both non-formal and formal education capacity and protect children from entering the labour force to survive. Since 2004, through the Canadian Coalition on HIV/AIDS and Youth in Africa program, a partnership with the Canadian agencies of CARE Canada, World Vision and Plan, Save the Children Canada has been working with vulnerable communities to teach healthy lifestyles and HIV/AIDS prevention to children and youth.

Our Programs in Mali
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking as one of the most underdeveloped nations. Our non-formal education program that fights child trafficking in Burkina Faso, is also working in Mali. The program provides prevention and protection mechanisms for boys and girls who may be encouraged to migrate alone into cities where they are vulnerable. With CIDA support, Save the Children Canada has conducted a study on child labour in the Office du Niger agricultural region that will be used to better define our future programs on the issue.