In a context marked by a security and humanitarian crisis in her country, Burkina Faso, Wendyam has managed to find her way to financial autonomy with the support of UNFPA and the Kingdom of the Netherlands as part of the implementation of the project “Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people in Burkina Faso”.
Wendyam is the eldest of four (04) children. After the Baccalaureate, her parents could not afford to enroll her in university. “Since I am a girl, they thought I could not help them financially. So I decided to find a job,” she explained.
With the support of UNFPA, through the project “Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people in Burkina Faso”, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, she received training on life skills, financial education, entrepreneurship and sexual and reproductive health. Having escaped her precarious situation thanks to the project’s interventions, Wendyam says: “With the training I gained confidence in myself to do a job that many consider to be reserved for men.”
In addition to the training, she received an installation kit consisting of, among other things, mixers, sieves and paint rollers. With three other young people, she formed a painters’ club called “Guesyam services”.
Today, Wendyam is independent and takes care of her family thanks to her activities within Guesyam services. “I opened my bank account and I manage to save regularly,” she explains. The rest, she puts at the service of her family. “With the security crisis, my parents found refuge in Kaya, a city located in the Centre-North region of Burkina Faso. It is with my income that I bought two large pots so that she can resume her activity of preparing and selling local beer,” Wendyam testified.
In addition to this, she supports the education of her two younger sisters: one is in the second grade and the other in the sixth grade. “This year I paid their school fees and supplies. When we receive payment on a construction site, I buy food for the family,” she added.
For Wendyam, UNFPA support has helped her become independent and keep her dignity. “Once I bought some food and brought it home. When my mother saw that, she told me that I am worth more than two boys and that she now knows that with me, she will not be ashamed,” she says with emotion.
The project “sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people in Burkina Faso”, financed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is implemented in 5 regions of Burkina Faso: East, North, Center-North, Boucle du Mouhoun and Sahel.
It aims to contribute to improving access for adolescents and young people in these regions to information and quality sexual and reproductive health services by strengthening their empowerment, providing services and promoting a favorable environment. In 2023, more than 5,492 adolescents and young people benefited from these various training courses implemented by UNFPA and its partners. Among them, 634 adolescents and young people, including 518 girls, who are leading innovative projects, received funding to develop their initiatives.
UNFPA Burkina Faso