Orodara: Men and women from the media observed on Thursday in Orodara, during a field visit, the multiple efforts made by the Ministry in charge of Family and Solidarity, in collaboration with the provincial directorate of K©n©dougou, for the proper functioning of the centers for children in difficult situations, thus helping to give hope to the residents. After visiting the reception centers for vulnerable people in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, the journalists headed to Orodara on Thursday, May 22, 2026, to see firsthand the many actions carried out by the Ministry of Family and Solidarity to improve the living conditions of children in distress in the locality.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Orodara Children's Home (MEO), located in sector 1, and the Maternal Hotel, in sector 5 of the city, which accommodate among others children in difficult situations, orphans, internally displaced persons and children without family ties, received the delegation of journalists. The director in charge of current affairs at the MEO, Salfo Karanga, explained that the structure, established as a Public Establishment of an Administrative Nature (EPA) in 1998, is built on an area of 12 hectares and accommodates 534 residents, including 100 internal and 434 external. Mr. Karanga specified that the MEO benefited from invaluable support from the Ministry in charge of Solidarity through the provincial directorate of K©n©dougou, in the context of carrying out its various activities.
Mr. Karanga further detailed that the ages of admission for children to the MEO are 10 to 17 years for boarding and 6 to 17 years for day school. He indicated that the role of the structure is to help young people and children to play a productive and constructive role in society. Several sectors, including sewing, carpentry, automotive mechanics, hairdressing, agriculture, and livestock farming, are offered to residents to promote their social reintegration and family integration.
The provincial director in charge of Family Affairs in K©n©dougou, Fatoumata Zongo/B©n©, revealed that her ministry is making many efforts for the social and family reintegration of children in difficulty in the reception centers of Orodara. Ms. Zongo emphasized that the support provided to these vulnerable children is based on the needs identified in the field. "We ensure regular follow-up in the reception centers as well as with our former residents in order to enable them to be productive in our country," she stated.
The director of the Orodara Maternity Hotel, Mireille Ou©draogo/Coulibaly, affirmed that she benefits from the support of the Ministry of Family and Solidarity in the care of abandoned, lost, found, and other social cases. She indicated that this public institution, created in 2007, has welcomed 645 children since its opening and currently has 61 residents in 2026. According to Ms. Ou©draogo, the mission of the maternal hotel is to allow these children of tomorrow to flourish and succeed in their social reintegration.
The Ministry in charge of Solidarity also supported former residents of the MEO in Orodara in creating their own income-generating activities. This is exemplified by Vincent Traor©, a former resident of the Children's Home, who now works in the welding field. Mr. Traor©, whose workshop is located in sector 1 of Orodara, employs two people and manages to provide for his daily needs. "After I left the MEO, the Ministry of Family and Solidarity, through the provincial directorate of K©n©dougou, supported me and I was able to create my welding workshop," he confided.
For seamstress Minata Coulibaly, another former resident of the children's home, located in sector 3 and employing 16 people, the support of the department in charge of Solidarity was decisive. Ms. Coulibaly, who is also an orphan, indicated that she had benefited from full support for her primary education, her vocational training, as well as installation kits for the opening of her workshop.
In a similar vein, the president of the Wilikatama cooperative, located in the town of Orodara, Scholastique Ou©draogo, stated that the provincial directorate of Family and Solidarity supported her structure with weaving equipment, training, and advice for the success of women's income-generating activities. "In our cooperative, young girls and women practice weaving, dyeing, and 'Koko dunda' in order to become self-reliant," noted the association's first leader, Ms. Ou©draogo.