Operational Highlights
The UN Refugee Agency provides protection and multi-sectorial assistance in coordination with CONAREF (Commission Nationale Pour les Réfugiés) along with UN Agencies and 17 NGOs it coordinates to 45,699 Malian Refugees.
Consolidation of Camps: UNHCR has consolidated 3 official camps (Goudoubo, Mentao and Sag-nioniogo) in order to improve UNHCR’s ability to deliver assistance as well as relocating the refugees at a safer distance from the border. Since mid-October 2012, over 11,300 refugees have been relocated from camps and spontaneous site located near the border.
Biometric Registration: UNHCR in Burkina Faso has finalized the first phase of the Biometric Registration Level III launched on 19 August. The first phase included Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso cit and Sag-nioniogo and Mentao camp. So far, the results of Mentao Camp have been consolidated with 12,270 refugees and the registration exercise is underway in Goudoubo camp.
Launch of Food and Cash Transfers by UNHCR-WFP: During the month of September, WFP in collaboration with UNHCR undertook cashtransfers to all official refugee camps in Burkina Faso (Sag-nioniogo, Mentao and Gouboubo), except in the spontaneous Sites of Ouadalan. The cash-food transfer is an effort to adapt food assistance to the current needs of the refugee population.
Refugee Committees: CONAREF (Camp Administrator), IEDA-RELIEF (Camp Manager) and UNHCR (Inter-Camp Coordinator) completed the election and training of four refugee committees and four sectorial committee in Sag-nioniogo.
Income Generating Activities: 401 women have received cash-grants from IEDA-Relief and have been further trained on the efficient use of their cash grant (150 Mentao, 150 Goudoubo, 50 Sag-nioniogo and 51 in Bobo-Dioulasso). CREDO has selected 10 children for vocational and technical education. The NGO Terre des Hommes continues to follow up on their income generating grants provided to 335 refugees (156 Goudoubo, 106 Sag-nioniogo and 73 in Bobo-Dioulasso).