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Women In Burkina Faso Demand Fair Share Of Debt Cancellation Benefits

Although women constitute 52 percent of Burkina Faso’s population and contribute to 80 percent of the agricultural production, they may not receive their fair share of a 700 million dollar debt cancellation benefit. One of the poorest countries in Africa, Burkina Faso recently benefited from the Heavily indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, which canceled half of the country’s foreign debt. Burkinabe women demand that the money be used to increase women’s economic independence through providing subsidies to women and increasing educational opportunities. In 1997 the rate of primary education in Burkina Faso was 25 percent for boys and only 16 percent for girls, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

Sources:

Interpress Service (http://www.ips.org) 10 August

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