Serving others to feel useful

Jean Ferdinand Sawadogo is the WASH (water, hygiene and sanitation) specialist for World Vision Burkina Faso response office. He was at the heart of the water response through the realization of boreholes in the intervention areas . On World Humanitarian Day, which recognizes that it takes a village to help those in need, Jean Ferdinand explains where his commitment and enthusiasm for helping vulnerable communities comes from.

Being in the field is a testimony of solidarity for me and it is the best way to understand local populations needs because I have the opportunity to exchange directly with them. And it allows me to make solid proposals for the implementation of WASH activities.

I was not really destined to work in the humanitarian field, but at a certain point in my professional development, I wanted my activities to have more impact for others. The contact with these populations teaches me every day that we are all human despite our differences, and we must treat everyone with respect and dignity.

The ongoing crisis in my country is depriving communities of food, water, livelihood and health care. During my visits, I see the consequences of the crisis on the people and especially the children who are the most affected. Access to water remains a permanent problem. People have to travel miles to get drinking water and sanitation services are almost non-existent for people fleeing the violence.

Out of a target of 417,139 people reached by WASH activities at the national level for the first half of 2022, World Vision has reached 17,066 people, or 4% of the national target. This rate at the national level represents only 25% of the annual target, which means that considerable efforts must be made by the entire humanitarian community by the end of 2022 for the well-being of vulnerable people and children in particular.  

All the satisfaction in my work is found in the smiles of women and children who come to fetch water or who express their gratitude for the assistance. On this World Humanitarian Day, and with the current security situation, I pray that God will help us so that we can in turn be useful to others, assisting those in need. So far he has helped us and I firmly believe that he will continue to work through humanitarians to transform and improve the lives of thousands of people in distress.