Food Security and Health Services Accessibility in Burkina Faso
Key Findings (I)
Knowledge and Behavior
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Majority of respondents have a good knowledge of social distancing and preventive measures that one can adopt to
reduce the risk of infection with COVID-19.
...and they frequently apply these preventive measures and recommended social behaviors.
Respondents are not aware of all actions taken by authorities to curb the spread of the virus; only four actions are named
by the majority: closure of markets, yaars, restaurants and bars; closure of places of worship; curfew/lockdown; and ban
on gathering of 50 people or more.
Access to food, education and health services
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About 1 in 4 households reports that at some point during covid-19, they were unable to access basic food. Unavailability
of staple foods was driving mainly by maize, particularly in the southern part of Burkina Faso. A wide range of reasons
prohibited access to food: market closure, price increase, limited stock, and lack of transport means. Transport issues are
mainly in Ouagadougou; price issues are more severe for poor households.
A high proportion (9 in 10) of students remain intellectually active during the Covid-19. They are leveraging mainly on ICT
(53.4%).
Only 1 in 4 students is in touch with his/her teacher. Despite a need for social distancing, most of those in touch with
their teacher are maintaining physical contact, especially those in other urban/rural and the poor. Use of ICT as
communication tool is more pronounced in Ouagadougou and for non-poor.
Since March 16th, 2 in 5 households declared that they needed health service, mainly because of malaria/fever. The vast
majority of those who needed health services were able to get treatment, a sign that there was no disruption in the
provision of health services. It is important to note that the questionnaire is not very clear, so treatment could include
“traditional treatment”, and/or “self-treatment”.
A combination of supply and demand factors affect ability to access health services when needed; but affordability
represents the biggest constraint, especially for the poor.
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