Fondation Follereau has announced its plans for continued commitment to West African projects in 2019, targeting 70 new villages.

Always focused on improving the public health community, especially in rural areas, and support for children in distress, the foundation's new projects will continue its commitment in its 9 countries of African intervention.

For more than half a century, the foundation has dedicated its activity to improving the living conditions of people suffering from a form of exclusion. Originally fighting against leprosy, over the years this commitment has diversified around its two sectors in West Africa. Field work is carried out by trusted local partner associations in order to guarantee the long-term and quality implementation of projects corresponding to the needs of the targeted local populations.

In 2017, more than 350,000 people benefited from the foundation's activities. Now, for 2019, no less than 12 new buildings, including 2 maternity homes, 8 community health centres and 2 Peripheral Care Units will be built and respectively made operational by the end of the year. In order to guaranteei access to basic healthcare for all, the foundation aims to increase access to health services for rural populations, both in terms of geographical distance, and access to information, qualified staff or affordable services.

Nearly 170 new villages will be targeted in the activities. In Burkina Faso, for example, for the project to combat female genital mutilation (FGM), it is planned to extend the activities to Kulpelogo province for a total population of 290,361 inhabitants. In 2017, the Foundation's awareness-raising actions in Burkina Faso against FGM took place in 49 villages, affecting around 7,000 people. 68 women were able to benefit from a repair.

In this sense, the foundation will increase its number of direct beneficiaries. In Mali, in the Ségou region, the goal is to double the number of children in care. In total, 173 children were cared for in the center and 88% of them were able to return to the family environment. The foundation wants to increase this number to 400 children. Also in 2017, weekly street tours to identify children in vulnerable situations helped to identify approximately 500 children, a number that the Follereau Foundation would like to double.

In the context of different projects, Income Generating Activities (IGAs) will be further developed. The Fondation Follereau will therefore continue to increase its commitment alongside its local partners in the fight against all forms of exclusion and for improved access to health and education.