Caritas Sahel holds regional meeting in Ouagadougou to address Mali crisis

A comprehensive communication strategy is being developed.

Ouagadougou, 20 February 2013 – Caritas organisations from across the Sahel have gathered in Burkina Faso’s capital to coordinate their response to the food shortages and socio-political turmoil affecting the region. The meeting, which began on 19 February in Ouagadougou, brings together Caritas branches from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Sénégal. Since 2007, these groups have worked together under the Sahel Caritas platform.

The gathering, running until 23 February, includes information officers and emergency response coordinators. Their goal is to build a regional communication network linking these Catholic aid organisations.

This meeting is part of Emergency Appeal 28/2012, titled “Project to strengthen Caritas’s capacity to prepare for and respond comprehensively to humanitarian emergencies caused by the crisis in Mali”.

Father Isidore Ouédraogo, Executive Secretary of Caritas Burkina, explained that the workshop aims to create a shared working framework for all communication and emergency officers across the Sahel Caritas network, thus improving their ability to deliver aid.

Estimates indicate that approximately 300,000 Malian refugees are currently sheltering in neighbouring countries.

By Claire Mvondo — Security and State Policy Expert