Benin News

Organic Farming Techniques Sustain Crops

Sara Wilson — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:15:55 +0000

Clémentine Sèbio, a partner with THP-Benin, shares her story of agricultural success.

A letter from one of our partners in Benin:

My name is Clémentine Sèbio. I am 42 years old and married with six children. I live in Gnonfihoué, a partner village of Dékpo Epicenter [with The Hunger Project-Benin].

I would like to tell you that I have much hope for the upcoming years to increase my harvest. As you probably know, we, as women, could only have limited access to land for our own farming. And we used to do with that. But, soil fertility decreases year after year. We women are always the first exposed to decreased harvests stemming from poor soil.

[Following agricultural training at the epicenter,] we opted for collecting household wastes to fertilize our lands. We would use baskets and other receptacles and then carry the waste products on our heads over the land, scattering them as we went. That way, the wastes are only spread on very limited plots. We see a significant difference compared to plots without wastes.

In addition, we know from experience that chemical fertilizers, when used, induce expected results only when organic matters are present in the soil!

Now, with the epicenter initiative “Clean Villages, Fertile Farms,” I am hopeful that I will have better harvests because I can use the services of the epicenter youth partners, who have been supported by THP-Benin in obtaining a motorbike equipped with a rickshaw. This will definitely make the waste transport easier. I’m sure that this will improve food production on my three ‘kanti’ plot (1 kanti = 400 square meters) during the next agricultural season.

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Access to Health Clinic Changes Life of Mother and Future Children

Sara Wilson — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:57:37 +0000

Rachelle Mahouchi is from the village of Kpèkpèhoué in Benin. Rachelle delivered her fifth child at home, having had previous deliveries under the same conditions with no apparent problems. The fifth delivery, however, was a birthing experience so difficult that she almost lost her life. Because of this, she decided to have her sixth child at a THP-Benin health clinic. Hear her story.

Community Centers for Meeting Basic Needs

Rachelle Mahouchi is from the village of Kpèkpèhoué in the epicenter of Kissamey. Married, she is the mother of six children. Her main source of income is through the sale of gari, flour made from cassava. She has been a partner of The Hunger Project (THP)-Benin for nearly a year.

Rachelle delivered her fifth child at home, having had previous deliveries under the same conditions with no apparent problems. The fifth delivery, however, was a birthing experience so difficult that she almost lost her life. She says:

"I went into labor about 9 am. Despite help from my family and neighbors, it was an exceptionally hard experience. The pain of childbirth was long. My husband came and went, preparing leaf-based potions he told me to drink to speed delivery. In desperation, everyone suggested going to the health center located 5 km away. It was night, and we were without electricity and without adequate means of transport. I knew that as of the night before, my husband only had 75 FCFA in his pocket (0.15 USD). This added to my pain and my despair. I felt increasingly drained of my strength. In such circumstances, God is always there - at least that's what I believe. Fortunately I was able to give birth successfully at a late hour that night.
My misfortune was not over yet. The newborn and I were bathed in a stream of blood. I remember drinking all sorts of potions: some salty, bitter and whatnot. The bleeding did not stop until the very early hours. I was very, very weak. In short, it was a bad experience and every time I remember, I almost feel again the pain and fragility of rural women lacking resources.
I learned many lessons from this experience. Therefore for my sixth child, I chose to come to the clinic to the epicenter of Kissamey, which fortunately is installed in the Health Unit within 3 km from my village. I did not regret making this choice, since the birth of my sixth child happened without any difficulty.
The other lesson I learned from this painful experience is that we must work to overcome poverty and have the necessary resources to heal and deal with other basic needs. I am working on this and my business, thanks to a partnership with The Hunger Project-Benin, will thrive because I am a happy woman and there is joy in my family."

We thank Rachelle for sharing this difficult and inspiring story with us and ask you to invest in strong women like her around the world.

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Program Innovations from THP-Benin in 2011

Sara Wilson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:10:44 +0000

During 2011, The Hunger Project-Benin strengthened its Youth Mobilization Initiatives, developed inivative agricultural programs such as Moringa ++, and expanded partnership and advocacy efforts. Read the full report.

Update to the Global Board

October 2011

The first six months of 2011 brought innovative new programs to THP-Benin. In late March, the organization launched a brand new agro-forestry initiative in six epicenters, known as “Moringa ++,” to address three prongs of the Epicenter Strategy: food security, health and nutrition, and environmental sustainability.

During Quarters 1 and 2, THP-Benin also refined its Youth Mobilization Initiative, and continued to work on non-formal education initiatives to mobilize the epicenter’s youth. Microfinance Program (MFP) performance remained strong, with three epicenters (Kissamey, Bétérou, Ouissi) making all current loan repayments on time. However, THP-Benin still struggles to achieve gender equality in its pre-schools, and administrative setbacks resulted in the delayed construction of Tré Epicenter in Quarter 2.

Accomplishments

THP-Benin has demonstrated a strong willingness to innovate and implement new, cross-cutting projects that represent the Epicenter Strategy’s integrated approach. Innovations at THP-Benin include:

Youth Mobilization: inviting youth to attend Vision, Commitment and Action (VCA) workshops, HIV/AIDS workshops, and to become Agriculture Trainers of Trainers (ToTs).
Cross-cutting Projects: the Moringa ++ initiative described above impacts food security, health and nutrition and environmental sustainability.
Advocacy: THP-Benin developed an outreach initiative to promote THP-Benin’s strategy to local authorities and international NGOs.
Partnerships: Health insurance plans offering coverage for health costs increased community visits to the health centers; membership was offered at a rate of 50 percent cost coverage for a $10 annual membership.

Download the full report (.pdf 719.78KB)