The country
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in the heart of West Africa, bordering Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The landscape shifts from the arid Sahel in the north to the greener savannahs of the south-west. The capital is Ouagadougou, followed in importance by Bobo-Dioulasso. The economy relies on agriculture and mining, with gold as the main export, which leaves it exposed to security crises, climate shocks and commodity prices. More than 40% of the population lives below the national poverty line.
With around 24 million inhabitants, Burkina Faso has one of the youngest populations in the world: almost half are under 15, and women have on average more than four children. Life expectancy at birth is about 60 years for men and 65 for women. Regional disparities are stark: according to the Human Development Index, the capital region reaches a medium level of human development, while the Sahel and the east of the country lag far behind.
Independent since 1960 under the name of Upper Volta, the country took its current name in 1984. Since 2015 it has been hit by violence from armed groups active across the Sahel, which has forced more than two million people to leave their homes. Since 2022 it has been led by a transitional government, which in 2023 formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Mali and Niger. In 2026 around 4.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, while according to the authorities more than one million displaced people have already returned to their places of origin.
Child health has improved considerably over recent decades: since 1990, under-five mortality has fallen by more than 60%. However, insecurity has weakened many health facilities, especially in crisis-affected areas, and malaria remains the leading cause of illness. Neonatal mortality, at 25 deaths per 1,000 live births, is still far from the 2030 Agenda target of 12 or fewer. Maternal mortality stands at 242 deaths per 100,000 live births. In this context, the Foundation works through the NEST Model (Neonatal Essentials for Survival and Thriving) to improve the quality of newborn care and strengthen collaboration among health facilities in Ouagadougou.
(Sources: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024; UN IGME; WHO; UNDP, Human Development Report 2025; UNFPA; OCHA; World Bank)
Burkina Faso in numbers
Burkina Faso in numbers
Our intervention
The Paolo Chiesi Foundation has been working in Burkina Faso since 2010 through a collaboration with the Hôpital Saint Camille de Ouagadougou (HOSCO), one of the country’s leading referral hospitals for maternal and child health. The project aims to improve the quality of neonatal care through an integrated approach that combines training, organizational innovation, infrastructure enhancement, and healthcare system strengthening.
Over the years, the Foundation has supported the creation and progressive development of the neonatology department, contributing to the introduction of essential technologies for the care of premature and complicated infants, including non-invasive ventilation (bubble CPAP), the strengthening of centralized oxygen and medical air systems, and the acquisition of equipment for clinical monitoring and stabilization of newborns at birth. At the same time, it promotes continuous improvement in the quality of care through healthcare personnel training, clinical auditing activities, strengthening the prevention and control of nosocomial infections, and monitoring quality indicators.
The Foundation also supports the consolidation of Kangaroo Care and Family-Centered Care, encouraging parents to stay with their newborns during hospitalization and encouraging continuity of care after discharge through home follow-up programs.
Since 2020, the Foundation has also supported the Réseau de Périnatologie de la Région du Centre (RPRC), formalized by the Ministry of Health in 2022, a network that brings together the main hospitals and birth centers in Ouagadougou, intending to improve the referral and counter-referral system for critically ill newborns, harmonizing clinical protocols, promoting shared training programs, and strengthening the collection and use of data to improve the quality of care.
Our intervention
The Paolo Chiesi Foundation has been working in Burkina Faso since 2010 through a collaboration with the Hôpital Saint Camille de Ouagadougou (HOSCO), one of the country’s leading referral hospitals for maternal and child health. The project aims to improve the quality of neonatal care through an integrated approach that combines training, organizational innovation, infrastructure enhancement, and healthcare system strengthening.
Over the years, the Foundation has supported the creation and progressive development of the neonatology department, contributing to the introduction of essential technologies for the care of premature and complicated infants, including non-invasive ventilation (bubble CPAP), the strengthening of centralized oxygen and medical air systems, and the acquisition of equipment for clinical monitoring and stabilization of newborns at birth. At the same time, it promotes continuous improvement in the quality of care through healthcare personnel training, clinical auditing activities, strengthening the prevention and control of nosocomial infections, and monitoring quality indicators.
The Foundation also supports the consolidation of Kangaroo Care and Family-Centered Care, encouraging parents to stay with their newborns during hospitalization and encouraging continuity of care after discharge through home follow-up programs.
Since 2020, the Foundation has also supported the Réseau de Périnatologie de la Région du Centre (RPRC), formalized by the Ministry of Health in 2022, a network that brings together the main hospitals and birth centers in Ouagadougou, intending to improve the referral and counter-referral system for critically ill newborns, harmonizing clinical protocols, promoting shared training programs, and strengthening the collection and use of data to improve the quality of care.
Our main activities in Burkina Faso
Training and mentoring of healthcare workers to improve the quality of neonatal care
Strengthening neonatology through improved infrastructure, oxygen therapy systems and essential equipment
Promotion of Kangaroo Care and Family-Centered Care, with follow-up programs for newborns after discharge
Development of the Réseau de Périnatologie de la Région du Centre (RPRC) to strengthen the referral and counter-referral system, training and coordination between health facilities
We also work in
