Child sponsorship update from Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Abomey-Calavi, Benin from Summer 2008.

We are pleased to provide you with some new information related to SOS Children’s Village Abomey-Calavi.

At the National level, one of the key events of 2008 is the unprecedented visit of the US president George W. Bush in last february. Even though the host spent his three-hour stay only at the international airport of Cotonou, it is the first time that an American president has ever visited our country. At his arrival, Mr Bush said his congratulations to the people of Benin for the deepening of democracy, the peaceful environment, the safety of individuals and goods, and for our government’s efforts to eradicate poverty and corruption in our country. The American First Lady in turn, encouraged Benin’s people to send all children to school, especially girls. Besides, local and municipal elections were held across the country during the last April. At the end of these elections, the ruling party FCBE has got more than sixty percent of the seats at national level. However, as far as the country’s economic capital city Cotonou is concerned, more than fifty percent of the votes were in favour the former president and incumbent mayor of the concerned city Nicéphore SOGLO’s party RB. As for Porto-Novo, our country’s political capital city, PRD, the former national Parliament chairman and unfortunate candidate during the presidential elections of March 2006 Adrien Houngbedji’s party. At the social level, prices of consumption goods have increased considerably. The SOS children’s villages are suffering from that crisis but will overcome it thanks to our Regional Office’s support. Food self-sufficiency, access to fresh water and to health care still remain our rural populations’ key preoccupations.

Supporting children and communities at Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Today, 98 children live in the SOS Children’s Village Abomey-Calavi. Indeed, 7 new children were recently admitted. It is important to mention that, in addition to its usual programme of taking care of orphans and abandoned children inside villages, SOS Children’s Villages has initiated the Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) since 2004 in Abomey-Calavi. This progamme is aimed at preventing from child abandonment through a financial, socio-educative and psychological support to the community’s poorest families. One of the families which are involved in the above programme is Elisabeth’s. Elisabeth is fifty-year-old blind widow who is taking care of a child. Her family has been involved in the programme since 2005. In fact, Elisabeth is blind from birth and is abandoned by her relatives who consider her as a “tohossou” which means, according to traditional belief in southern Benin, a dwarf and baby malformation divinity.

Before Elisabeth’s family gets involved in the Family Strengthening Programme, she was neglected and usually mocked at by her own relatives. Her widowhood conditions don’t allow her to supply her family’s basic needs; so she was obliged, with the help of her son Peter, to wander through the streets to beg. In short, she has nobody to help her and there was no hope for the future. When Peter’s teacher noticed that he was frequently absent at classes, she informed the Headmaster of his school. The headmaster in turn made some inquiries to know why he was frequently absent. He discovered the living conditions of Peter and his mother. Then he came to inform us about the situation. Indeed, Elisabeth’s house was completely dilapidated. Some parts of the walls were about to fall but were sustained by old pieces of wood which were already gnawed by termites. The metal sheets that covered the roof were already rusty and water usually entered into the house when it rains. Despite that dilapidated state of the house, the family was obliged to live there because they had nowhere else to go.

With SOS Children’s Villages’ support, masons and carpenters were able to restore the house. At the end of the restoration, Elisabeth was very happy and said: “I am very happy, I feel now that I can sleep quite peacefully in my room. SOS Children’s Village has considered me as a human being; I who was rejected and whom everybody used to mock at. I sincerely thank the authorities of this organization for what they do for the welfare of abandoned children and poor people like me. Long live to SOS Children’s Villages!”. The restoration of the house has given Elisabeth, the courage for life and for meeting the challenge of assuring a better future for her son.

Apart from the restoration of Elisabeth’s house, SOS Children’s Villages also helps her family in terms of:
- food supply every three months (maize, rice, beans, oil, soap, pasta, etc.)
- medical supply (consultation, medical check up, medicine gifts, etc.)
- scholarship supply for children (school fees, school uniform, school tools, school care, etc.)
- psycho-social support.

Besides, she was granted a credit to set up a coal and fire wood business. As far as Peter is concerned, he goes to school on a regular basis and is doing well. He is going to sit for the primary school final certificate exam next July.

Thank you very much indeed for your support to SOS Children’s Villages. Your help enables us to build families for children in need and lead them to shape their own future in a comfortable environment. We hope you will remain one of our sponsors for a long time.