- Benin - Intervita

Intervita works in Benin

Why we workBenin is one of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The scarce development of the economy, based on subsistence farming using outdated methods, is behind the dramatic social and health situation now faced by the population. Life expectancy is to 56 years old, and 15% of new babies fail to reach the age of 5. There is a lack of suitable health and schooling structures, with the illiteracy rate particularly high amongst young women: 77% of girls aged between 15 and 24 years old do not know how to read. This poverty, the decline of family and social relations, and the weakness of the institutions, all lead to an increasing traffic of children: it is today estimated that 50,000 children are sold every year to be exploited for work on the fields, in factories or as maids.

Our aimsTo guarantee a right to health, education and family for abandoned children or those at risk of abandonment and exploitation living in the communities of Gbodjo, Ganvié, Ahomey-Gblon and Toffo.

How we work60 children without families welcomed to the local Fondation Regard d’Amour centre. These children have been abandoned, are orphans or in situations of grave danger, such as the little sorciers (witches) that local legend has it are bearers of the evil eye, and should therefore be ‘eliminated’. 9,000 children in difficulty living in families or communities in particularly poor conditions of social decline. These children often cannot attend school, have no medical assistance and, in the worst cases, run the risk of abandonment.

Description of the project

WELCOME HOUSE
The Fondation Regard d’Amour centre for abandoned children aims to improve its welcome capacity for children in difficulty and become a point of reference for the protection of children. The building in which the centre is located needs restoration and extension works to set up an infirmary that will thus be able to provide medical assistance to non-resident children too, as well as forming a community meeting place. An important part of the centre’s work will be devoted to AIDS prevention, with the organisation of information days and the publication of brochures.

HEALTH
Tow infirmaries will be set up in the schools of Abomey-Calavi and Hovègbo. These will be able to provide basic medical treatment to 8,000 children. Meetings will be organised with mothers to explain fundamental hygiene rules that must be applied to prevent the most common childhood diseases.

FAMILY
In order to prevent the abandonment and trafficking of children, we need to create a support network for families in difficulty. The operators of the Fondation Regard d’Amour centre organise home medical check-ups and psycho-social assistance to families, to help them deal with chronic diseases, like AIDS, and monitor risk situations.
More than 400 families in economic-financial difficulty will be selected. These families will be granted access to microcredit so that they can start up income-generating activities.
Additionally, a campaign recording children's details will be initiated, in order to allow them to enjoy full citizenship rights. Parents’ difficulties in recording the birth of children are linked to the marginalisation of the rural areas where they live, economic impediment and distance from public offices, combined with an ignorance of the benefits that registration guarantees.
School
Approximately 500 children from the poorest families are guaranteed the possibility of attending school, with contributions to school fees and the supply of materials for the schools of 3 communities.