Plastic buckets and mugs distributed by UNV volunteers to flood victims in Burkina Faso help improve health conditions for new born babies whose families lost their homes in the flood. (UNV)

Four newborn babies sleep quietly in the arms of their mothers just behind the school, Kobri Nabmanejeuma, one of 88 sites in Ouagadougou where floods victims are receiving urgent humanitarian assistance. The youngest, a baby girl, is just 12 hours old and of course unaware about the unfortunate circumstances under which she was born.

“My baby is fine for the moment, but I do not have enough clothes for her and I doubt that the food I get will be enough to allow me to breast feed her,” says her mother Salamata Nikiema who, like tens of thousands of other people, saw her house collapse under the rain two weeks ago.

Since then she has camped at the public school that is still closed for the holidays. The government, UN agencies and humanitarian partners provide the site with food and some medicines, but the needs are immense. Not least are the hygienic conditions a concern, as around 2,000 people live at this site, where there are only five toilets and no showers. Volunteers from community organizations and local NGOs in the entire city are doing what they can to support the flood victims in the areas affected and at the sites for homeless people. But there are not enough resources and volunteers at the grassroots are dependent on contributions. Therefore, the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) in Burkina Faso has initiated a collection of funds to help the flood victims, especially young children and their mothers.

“This is an extraordinary situation which demands a mobilization of resources at all levels.” says William Amadeu, UNV Programme Officer.

Just after the disaster, UNV volunteers distributed clothes and shoes much needed by victims in one of the camps. Last week, they made an appeal for financial contributions among colleagues and private networks.

“As a volunteer I really felt like doing something, especially after having seen how disastrous the situation is. The flood victims hardly receive any assistance. Most of them, even people who are sick or wounded after having been hit by their houses that fell down, sleep under open air,” says Sarah Jacquier, UNV volunteer from Switzerland. Last week’s collected funds covered the cost of 650 children’s sandals, 200 plastic buckets, 130 drinking mugs and three big cartons of soap.

“Our contribution is modest in comparison to what other actors do, but everything counts. In fact, just knowing that these four women with newborn babies can keep them clean and healthy thanks to the distribution of our plastic buckets makes the intervention worthwhile. We will continue to support the victims as long as it is needed,” says Mr. Amadeu.