Gourga Safe Space, a haven of peace for women
Nearly 100 women visit Gourga safe space daily to find a sympathetic ear and psychosocial support.
- Français
- English
Awa's story
Awa (not her real name) had a near-death experience. She couldn't take it anymore. She could no longer bear the psychological and physical abuse her husband inflicted on her. It was hard, much too hard. In this great distress, she turned to the Safe Space, located on the site where she lives. Awa is 30 years old and the mother of six children. She is an internally displaced person from Titao (located in the Loroum province in Burkina Faso's northern region), 48 km from Ouahigouya. Her problems began when her husband took a second wife. She has seen everything from insults to confinement in an animal pen to physical violence.
"I was terrified. It wasn't going well at all... I don't want to remember," she says, her eyes filling with tears.
Awa had tried to commit suicide. If she is alive today, it's thanks to the support she received at Espace sûr. Djeneba Porgo, the gender-based violence (GBV) case manager and Safe Space facilitator, heard about her story and referred her to Ouahigouya Hospital for treatment, which saved her life.
"When I asked the psychologist to take care of her, she told me she wasn't sure she could because Awa was very depressed. Sometimes, she would even call me in the middle of the night because things weren't going well. Today, Awa has regained her zest for life," says Djeneba Porgo.
Awa comes to Espace sûr regularly. She has learned to make liquid soap and cakes baked in a traditional oven. Moreover, she has made peace with her husband, who has understood the harmful effects of all this violence. Awa is all smiles. Thanks to the psychological and financial support she received from the Espace sûr des femmes et filles de Gourga, the bad times she went through are behind her. She now has a little money to look after herself and her children, she has an activity to keep her busy, and she is surrounded by other women and the leaders of the Espace sûr to encourage her when she needs it.
Maimouna's story
Maimouna (not her real name) was physically abused by her husband. Maimouna is an internally displaced person. She comes from Thiou, halfway between Ouahigouya in Burkina Faso and Koro, the first Malian town over the border. With her husband and children, Maimouna lives on the Gourga IDP site. Before she left her village, she ran a small business. When armed individuals chased them out of the village, she could pick up her small savings. Unfortunately, when she arrived in Gourga, her husband went through her belongings and stole her money.
"When I realised he had taken my savings, I blamed him. He started insulting me and hitting me. He even chased me away and asked me not to come back. I wish he'd asked me to give him the money instead of taking it behind my back," says Maimouna.
Maimouna came to the Gourga Women's and Girls' Safe Space when her husband chased her away. She confided in Djeneba Porgo, the site's GBV case manager.
In addition to receiving a dignity kit consisting of soap, loincloth and sanitary towels, Maimouna also received psychosocial and financial assistance. Mediation was carried out between her and her husband. As a result, Maimouna's husband promised to ask before taking his wife's money and to stop beating her. Maimouna also received a transfer of 25,000 CFA francs, enabling her to restart her small business. Today, thanks to the Safe Space, Maimouna makes bread that she can sell to earn a little money, and between her and her husband, all is well.
The Safe Space was created in 2021. From April 2022 to June 2023, 124,347 people (45,063 girls, 40,324 boys, 29,903 women and 9,057 men) were reached by messages on GBV risk mitigation, prevention, sexual exploitation and abuse in emergencies. Every day, around 100 women and girls come to be heard and to benefit from the help offered. Thanks to UNICEF and the U.S. government, these women are well supported through training in income-generating activities, GBV awareness-raising sessions, dignity kits, and household, financial and psychological support. In a region like GOURGA, having a safe space for women is a real source of hope for the thousands of women who, like Awa and Maimouna, go there looking for solutions to the vicious circle of violence they sometimes face in their lives.
