The Secrétariat Permanent des ONG du Burkina Faso (SPONG) was born in the context of the great drought that hit the Sahel between 1969 and 1984. From 17 founding NGOs in 1974, it has 277 members in 2021, which are national and international NGOs, development associations and foundations. The SPONG is a framework for civil society consultation that promotes the exchange of experiences and information, capacity building of its members, and identifies and defends common positions in order to influence public policies. In Burkina Faso, SPONG is a key player in facilitating dialogue between civil society, the state and technical and financial partners. At the regional level, SPONG is recognised as a pioneering collective in West Africa. It is a member of regional networks such as the Réseau des Plates-Formes d'ONG d'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (REPAOC, a member of Forus) and ReSaD (Réseau Sahel Désertification), of which it is the focal point in Burkina Faso. It implements its projects with partners such as the UNDP, UNICEF, the Global Mechanism, the European Union and many other international partners.