June 2019 – During the past two years, violent extremist organizations (VEOs) have steadily gained ground in the Nord and Sahel regions of Burkina Faso. In October 2018, USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives’ BFRP opened an office in Nord’s Ouahigouya town and focused programming on strengthening communities’ resilience against VEO influence. A local NGO, Association Femme Solidaire, organized a training in two communities near the Mali border in Nord—Thiou and Tangaye—to provide 24 female community representatives with negotiation and persuasion skills to curb recruitment efforts, in addition to learning how to identify individuals vulnerable to VEO recruitment.

“All of us are afraid to talk about VEOs because we do not know who is who. But the sensitization we received with our sisters showed us how to convey messages to our loved ones. [When we know] how to better manage family, understand and give advice to our children through discussing VEOs’ negative effects, we can prevent our children from joining these groups. That's why I'm going to do everything to support my family because it's my role as a mother. That way peace can be in our country. I am thankful for this awareness session,” said a participant from Tangaye. 

Participants reported that they are now better able to:

• Talk with their children, parents, and friends about peaceful coexistence, family dynamics, and mutual respect;
• Develop strategies for helping their children avoid VEO recruitment;
• Identify suspicious individuals and report them to the authorities, and;
• Build awareness within their communities.

Following the training, the participants returned home to share the skills they learned to an additional 134 women across eight villages.