---
title: "NRC in Burkina Faso"
description: "Burkina Faso has seen an unprecedented rise in violence since 2019, resulting in mass displacement of families and skyrocketing humanitarian needs."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/burkina-faso"
language: "en"
published: "2025-03-20T14:28:01Z"
modified: "2025-05-07T08:52:32Z"
---

# NRC in Burkina Faso

Ouahigouya, North province, Burkina Faso: People forced to flee their homes gather in Ouahigouya. Photo: Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC

Burkina Faso has seen an unprecedented rise in violence since 2019, resulting in mass displacement of families and skyrocketing humanitarian needs.

Published 20. Mar 2025 Updated 07. May 2025

[Burkina Faso](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=36)

This is one of the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, but the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working at the heart of it. We’re responding rapidly in hard-to-reach areas to the urgent need for food, clean water and shelter, as well as protecting people from violence and helping children carry on with their education.

## What’s happening in Burkina Faso?

The past few years have seen recurrent attacks by armed groups across Burkina Faso, including two military takeovers just eight months apart in 2022. Dozens of towns and villages have been blockaded, and roughly one million civilians remain under siege.

At least another two million people have been forced to flee – some of them, several times over. Their lives have been shattered, their livelihoods destroyed, and they now face devastating levels of hunger and hardship.

All this unrest has disrupted infrastructure, leading to the closure of one in four schools across Burkina Faso and jeopardising the education – and futures – of over a million children.

Sadly, the situation continues to deteriorate, with mounting social tensions, ongoing brutality by armed groups and ever-increasing humanitarian needs.

## Our response

We’re working with our partners in the following areas:

- **Water, sanitation and hygiene** – constructing solar-powered water supply systems, providing suitable sanitation for schools and communities, and working with communities to promote hygiene and prevent diseases.
- **Shelter and settlements** – helping to provide temporary shelter and more permanent homes, as well as essential household items like kitchen sets, bedding and mosquito nets.
- **Livelihoods and food security** – helping people to access land and providing them with small animals, seeds, tools and new cultivation techniques, so they can feed their families.
- **Education** – running campaigns to help integrate displaced children, constructing semi-permanent school blocks, repairing classrooms, helping displaced children access education, providing vital vocational teaching, and training teachers to support traumatised children through psychosocial techniques.
- **Protection from violence** – improving access to protection and assistance, and strengthening community safety and violence prevention.
- **Information, counselling and legal assistance** – helping people understand their housing, land and property rights, advocating for these rights alongside authorities, and helping people obtain the civil and identity documentation they need to attend school and receive lifesaving assistance.

[Download the factsheet for NRC in Burkina Faso and Niger](https://www.nrc.no/resources/fact-sheets/nrc-burkina-faso-and-niger--fact-sheet)

## Our operations

**NRC office established:** 2019

**Areas of operation:** Ouagadougou (country office), Soum, Liptako (coordination office in Dori), Bankui (through local partner), Kuilsé, Sirba, Goulmou (coordination office in Fada N’Gourma)

**Country Director:** Anika Krstic

**Contact:** [bf.info@nrc.no](mailto:bf.info@nrc.no)

## Our impact

In 2025, we assisted 208,123 people through our programmes in Burkina Faso:

- 57,312

  Education
- 1,240

  Livelihoods and food security
- 43,654

  Shelter and settlements
- 19,781

  Protection from violence
- 60,770

  Information, counselling and legal assistance
- 53,454

  Water, sanitation and hygiene

***Note:** some people received more than one type of assistance.*

### News and stories

Press release

## [Alarming lack of funding for lifesaving aid in 2026](https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/alarming-lack-of-funding-for-lifesaving-aid-in-2026)

01. Jul 2026 | Global|Afghanistan|Burkina Faso|Mali|Niger

## [Elisabeth's fight for education](https://www.nrc.no/feature/2026/elisabeths-fight-for-education)

14. May 2026 | Feature

## [How displaced women are building a future through soumbala](https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2026/how-displaced-women-are-building-a-future-through-soumbala)

27. Feb 2026 | Burkina Faso

[More news and stories](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=123,125,172,335,36&searchMethod=1)

### Publications

## [Burkina Faso 2025 activities report](https://www.nrc.no/resources/annual-reports/burkina-faso-2025-activities-report)

11. Jun 2026 | Burkina Faso

## [Climate Information Services End-User Assessment](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/climate-information-services-end-user-assessment)

23. Mar 2026 | Burkina Faso

## [Burkina Faso: Activities 2024](https://www.nrc.no/resources/brochures/burkina-faso-activities-2024)

05. Jun 2025 | Burkina Faso

[More publications](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=124,131,132,175,178,314,315,333,36&searchMethod=1)

**Region:** West Africa  
**Population:** 24.07 million  
**Total displaced:** 2.4 million  
**Refugees hosted:** 42,953