From shadows to school desks: Restoring hope for forcibly displaced families in Burkina Faso

In Kaya, a bustling town in Burkina Faso's Centre-North region, Sonia Nikiema’s life is a testament to resilience amidst adversity. At 28, she has already endured more than most. Originally from Kelbo, a rural village in the Sahel’s Soum province, Sonia was forced to flee her home three years ago with her husband and two young daughters after their village was attacked by armed groups.

“When our village was attacked, we had no choice but to flee. On the way to Kaya, we were ambushed by armed men who took everything we had,” Sonia recounts, her voice heavy with emotion. Among the stolen possessions was her eldest daughter’s birth certificate, a loss that would later complicate their lives even further. “Despite everything, I am grateful we survived,” she adds, her gratitude tempered by the scars of that harrowing journey.

Sonia’s challenges didn’t end there. Five years ago, she fell from a tree in an accident that left her permanently disabled. “I sought medical care, but without the means to continue treatment, I had to accept my new reality,” she says, her gaze dropping to the walker she now relies on for mobility. Unable to work, Sonia depends on her husband, a mechanic, to support their family. Yet even his modest income couldn’t help them secure a basic right: education for their children.

Last year, Sonia’s efforts to enroll her daughters in school were thwarted because they lacked the necessary civil documents. Without birth certificates, her daughters were invisible in the eyes of the law. But hope arrived through a project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in partnership with UNHCR. This initiative helps displaced families like Sonia’s obtain essential civil documentation. “This year, my daughters have birth certificates. My eldest is back in school, and my youngest has been registered for the first time. I thank God,” Sonia says with a smile of relief.

Sonia is just one of thousands whose lives have been transformed by this initiative. The project, titled “Protection Response for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Host Communities in Burkina Faso,” has provided over 50,000 displaced and vulnerable individuals with civil documentation. It’s a lifeline for families like Hamado Sawadogo’s, another displaced resident of Kaya.

Hamado fled violence with his wife and two children. “We didn’t prioritize getting birth certificates for our children, never imagining our lives would be uprooted by conflict,” he shares. Once in Kaya, the process of obtaining documents was prohibitively expensive and complex. “Thanks to UNHCR, my children now have birth certificates, and my eldest daughter is finally in school,” he says with a mix of relief and pride.

For many families, a birth certificate is more than a piece of paper—it’s a key to survival. It opens doors to education, healthcare, and legal protections while reducing the risk of statelessness. “Providing civil or identity documents to vulnerable individuals is an act of protection,” explains Maurice Azonnankpo, UNHCR’s Representative in Burkina Faso. “It allows these people to fully enjoy their human rights while reducing the risk of statelessness.”

Burkina Faso has been grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis since 2016, with over 2 million displaced people and 41,000 refugees within its borders. In this challenging context, projects like the one funded by AICS not only restore individual rights but also strengthen the government’s capacity to support vulnerable populations.

The initiative goes beyond documentation. It tackles critical issues such as gender-based violence, provides shelter for vulnerable families, and builds hope for sustainable solutions. For Sonia, Hamado, and countless others, this means reclaiming their dignity and securing a brighter future for their children—a future that starts with the simple yet profound act of being seen and counted.