A regional communication strategy is being developed to coordinate the efforts of Caritas organisations across the Sahel.
Ouagadougou meeting aims to strengthen emergency response
Representatives from Caritas Burkina Faso, Caritas Mali, Caritas Niger and Caritas Senegal gathered in Ouagadougou on 19 February for a five-day meeting. The goal is to align their capacities to address the food and socio-political crises affecting the region. Since 2007, these organisations have operated under the Sahel Caritas platform, and this meeting is a further step toward deeper collaboration.
The session brings together communications officers and emergency operations managers to build a regional information-sharing system among the Catholic aid agencies. It is part of the Emergency Appeal 28/2012 project, titled “Strengthening Caritas’ Preparedness and Comprehensive Response Capacity to Humanitarian Emergencies Caused by the Crisis in Mali.”
Father Isidore Ouédraogo, executive secretary of Caritas Burkina, explained that the concrete aim is to create a common working framework for all communications and emergency staff of the Sahel Caritas, thereby improving their intervention effectiveness.
Estimates indicate that around 300,000 Malian refugees are currently hosted in neighbouring countries.
