Who We Are

Our Story

Created in 2011, Association Femme et Développement (AFD) aimed to promote the rights, development and full potential of Burkinabe women and girls. In an effort to broaden its field of action and respond in a more targeted manner to the needs of young women and girls in francophone West Africa, AFD became, in 2018, Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme (IPBF) (Pananetugri Initiative for Women's Wellbeing).

Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme, a philanthropic, apolitical and non-denominational organization under Burkinabe law, was born out of the determination of dynamic young women and men to contribute to the development of women in all areas: legal, socio-economic and cultural. Convinced that women's development depends on their resilience, their capacity to defend their interests and overcome challenges, IPBF focuses its interventions on the development of women's leadership, especially among young women and girls. With this in mind, the Initiative carries out outreach work - information, education and communication - aimed at young women and girls so that they are better able to take ownership of their life and enjoy the rights they are entitled to. This is combined with advocacy actions towards public, traditional and religious authorities so that more attention is given to issues inherent to women's development.

In 2019, a diagnostic study on the situation of women and girls in francophone West Africa confirmed the worrisome situation of young women and girls in terms of education, health, socio-economic status and GBV, as well as the lack of policies and interventions to influence positive change in their lives. This study also brought to light the multiple similarities that exist among francophone West African countries with regard to the situation of young women and girls and provided significant guidance in IPBF’s subsequent actions.