PROJECT-SUPPORT BENIN

Country / Place

Bénin, Gbéhoué and Comé

Benin is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The name refers to the Bay of Benin, which is named after the former Kingdom of Benin. Porto-Novo is the capital, where the parliament has its seat, and with just under 270’000 inhabitants, it is the second largest city in the country after Cotonou, the economic centre and seat of government.

The towns of Gbéhoué and Comé are both located in the department of Mono. The department of Mono is located in the south-west of the country.

General

The declared goal of the Association ‘Source de Vie’, which was founded in 2010, is to provide young people in the West African country of Bénin with a solid education and vocational training, to help them make a living in their own country and thus offer them a promising alternative to emigrating to Europe.

Like many countries in the south, Bénin is going through difficult times. Due to the pandemic and subsequent political unrest in West Africa, the borders were - and still are - closed. The modest tourism and transit trade collapsed completely and, as a result, the loss of numerous jobs exacerbated the already high levels of poverty.

Beneficiaries

Primary school with kindergarten
The private primary school with kindergarten Ste-Marie in Gbéhoué was established after the classes were moved to the villages and the premises of the first education centre were empty. Around 150 boys and girls are currently taught and cared for here by 14 dedicated employees. All children receive three meals a day and have access to extra tuition and sports. Thanks to an in-house school fund, pupils from less well-off families can also attend the school. Every year, 20 to 25 pupils pass the state final examination after the 6th grade - most of them with excellent results.

Organic farming and teaching farm
The farm, the ‘Ferme Paul Meier’, was initiated by nine young farmers who wanted to put the knowledge they had gained at the Lycée Agricole into practice but had no land. A vegetable farmer from Rütihof (canton Aargau) donated the money needed to buy five hectares of land. Together, the land was cleared and prepared for planting. Around 20 young farmers now work on the organic farm. Part of the total area of 15 hectares has been planted with 500 oil palms, while the rest is used to grow fruit, vegetables, maize, and manioc. At the same time, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and a fish farm were introduced. The young professionals use the products to provide the majority of the food for around 300 employees, pupils, and apprentices. The yield from the oil palms is processed into cooking oil under the supervision of a knowledgeable team of women and, due to the current lack of purchasing power among the population, is mainly used to make soap for personal use.    

Vocational training centre
Since 2010, tailors, shoemakers and, since 2022, embroiderers, metal turners and millers, have been acquiring the skills they need to secure a livelihood in two-year courses at the vocational training centre. To date, around 250 young people have completed an apprenticeship. After eight years of training courses in remote villages, Source de Vie built a central vocational training centre in Comé. This was opened in autumn 2022 and also has a boarding school for 60 apprentices.

Project-support

Project: Free place campaign

Since September 2024, the association has taken on ten young people (five girls and five boys) aged between 11 and 15, who grew up in a refugee camp and were unable to attend school or have any chance at receiving an education. At ‘Source de Vie’, they are now receiving a free two-year apprenticeship at the vocational training centre.

This includes: training as a tailor, school support so that a primary school qualification can be achieved at the same time, and board and lodging in the project's own boarding school. After successfully passing their final exams, they each receive a treadle sewing machine, a table, two chairs, some fabric, and sewing materials, enabling them to work independently straight away. In addition, the local project manager works to ensure that these young people receive residence and work permits once they have completed their training..