Burkina Faso continues to face major challenges in ensuring inclusive education, with over 72 percent of children with disabilities currently out of school. Factors such as poor infrastructure, limited teacher training, and persistent social stigma hinder these children’s access to quality education. Although the government developed a National Strategy for Inclusive Education, its implementation has remained limited. To address these gaps, the World Bank launched the Burkina Faso Improving Education of Children with Disabilities project, focusing on improving access to and the quality of education for vulnerable children, particularly those with disabilities, in the country’s five poorest regions and in Ouagadougou.
The project, financed by the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF), demonstrated how flexible and targeted interventions can make a difference, especially in times of crisis. Implemented in a challenging environment marked by political instability, including coups in 2022, and widespread insecurity, the project adapted to ensure continuity. It established reception centers and designated project schools as safe spaces for displaced students. To maintain progress amid disruptions, the project delegated the procurement of specialized equipment to NGOs and utilized digital monitoring tools such as the Geo-Enabling Monitoring System (GEMS) and mobile phones for data collection.
Between 2021 and 2024, the initiative successfully enrolled or re-enrolled approximately 50,966 students across 140 schools, including 19,127 children with disabilities and 31,839 other vulnerable children, surpassing its initial target of 15,412 beneficiaries. In total, the project directly benefited 60,737 individuals. Implemented by the Ministry of National Education, Literacy and Promotion of National Languages (MEBAPLN), the program provided medical consultations to children with disabilities, distributed specialized equipment to 3,259 of them, and created 280 income-generating jobs for parents. It also upgraded school infrastructure, revitalized 140 School Management Committees, and trained 980 committee members to promote inclusive education strategies.
In addition to improving facilities and access, the project carried out awareness campaigns to reduce stigma and promote inclusion while training 8,359 families to support their children’s continued education. Its success prompted the government to expand these initiatives under new projects, including the Restoring Education System Performance and Improving Resilience Project, also financed by the World Bank, which builds on these achievements to further strengthen inclusive education for children with disabilities in Burkina Faso.
