Why?

Why Benin?

Benin enjoys political stability and its constitution upholds religious freedom, being an example to date of coexistence between different cultures and religions. Thus, this small country is a place where the support given has more guarantees of sustainability.

The country’s poverty is reflected in a life expectancy of 59 years, with 42 per cent of the population under the age of 15, and an adult literacy rate of 38 per cent.

And why Nikki?

The region in which Nikki is located, in the northeast of the country and close to the border with Nigeria, lives mainly from agriculture and many children have to work in the fields to help their families. Some are sent home to relatives in southern cities for an education, but many end up effectively being used as slave labor. Other children migrate directly to countries such as Nigeria where they work in quarries, or to Burkina Faso where girls work as domestic workers.

In the field of health, the region is very deficient. With a population of 230,000 inhabitants, there is only one 150-bed hospital, with an occupancy rate of 110 per cent and which does not have the necessary specialties, a centre for basic medical care and another for the care of malnourished children. Likewise, the lack of hygiene education contributes to the strong presence of malaria and diarrheal diseases, among others.

FUNDEBE tries to address these shortcomings by empowering the population through education and improvement of the health system and education, being strongly supported by local authorities, with whom it has an excellent relationship.

Why a school?

Children are the most vulnerable and at the same time their education is the fundamental hope.

According to UNICEF, 55 per cent of adolescent males in Benin are currently literate, while only 30 per cent of females are. The high illiteracy rate means: (i) the helplessness of peasants when it comes to obtaining fair prices for cotton, their main crop, (ii) a very serious obstacle to improving their living conditions by diversifying their economic activities, and (iii) a reason for emigration at an early age, with the dangers that this entails for children.

Currently, only 8,000 of the 30,000 school-age children in Nikki Township are enrolled in school. Despite efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate following the Government’s introduction of compulsory primary education in 2006, the educational provision is clearly inadequate, and there is only one secondary and baccalaureate school covering the various educational options defined by the Beninese Ministry of Education. These events moved the local authorities to promote the present project.

Through the creation of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen school, FUNDEBE pursues 3 objectives:

• • Equal opportunities for girls and boys
  • Multicultural Inclusive Education
  • Eradication of child trafficking

Why a Primary Care Center?

With a population of 230,000 people in the Nikki area, there are only the following health infrastructures: a 150-bed hospital, with an occupancy rate of 110 per cent and which does not have all the necessary specialities, a centre for basic medical care and another for the care of malnourished children.

The construction of a primary health care center located on the same site as the Nuestra Señora del Carmen school, serves to mitigate this great shortage, providing a service to the school on the one hand, and hosting periodic campaigns by groups of volunteer ophthalmologists and dentists on the other.