AGSP Scholar receiving an AGSP Kit from the School Director of Borei, northern Benin.

The Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program celebrated the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year in the Borgou-Alibori and Atacora-Donga.

For the 2008-2009 school year, a total of 500 girls and 250 boys from 22 schools received scholarships. Scholarship recipients received a school bag, text and exercise books, a box of chalk, a school uniform and sweater and school supplies. In addition, the recipients’ schools receive a modest amount of funding to provide the students’ breakfast.

Many parents, education officials, members of the Parents’ Associations (APE), mayors or their representatives attended.

World Education’s local NGO partner, “Actions Communautaires pour le Développement Durable (ACDD) organized this year’s awards ceremony in the northern regions. The USAID Basic Education Team delegation participated in the awards ceremony in two schools within the Nikki school district and two other schools in Djougou.

Contents of an AGSP Scholarship Kit

The public primary school of Selra, in the Djougou school district was established in 1985. But in 2005, it still had only 97 students and just three classrooms. Then in 2006, the AGSP program began to award scholarships to needy girls in the district. As a result, even the poorest parents were able to send their children to school. The Selra school more than doubled its enrollment and now boasts 226 students and five classrooms. AGSP has also dramatically improved the students’ academic performance and pass rates.

Madame Céline Nambi, President of the Mothers Association of the village of Tabota , in north-western Benin talks about the fight to keep girls in school.

During their trip to northern Benin, the USAID delegation met with Ministry of Primary Education School District Supervisors, World Education program officers, and local NGO coordinators participating in a joint workshop to develop training modules and manuals on school resources management and fighting corruption. The workshop goal was to harmonize the training course content with the directives of the Ministry of Education. The learning modules will be used in training the Parents' and Mothers' Associations, as well as primary school directors.

Children in class at the St. Joseph care and transit center of the Sœurs Salésiennes, a Catholic NGO in Parakou. Funded by the IACCT project, the center shelters recovered trafficked children while locating their parents and enabling their reintegration back into their families and into schools or vocational training centers.

In Parakou, the largest city in northern Benin, they attended a two-day workshop on child trafficking. The Ministery of Family called the workshop to review the project performance and discuss issues of combating child trafficking, such as difficulties reintegrating children into their families and ensuring their continued protection from traffickers. The workshop also looked at patterns of families and children migration in the area and the specific causes and possible solutions to child trafficking in the region.

The main outcome of the meeting was that partners and the representative of the Ministry of Family identified a number of needs that IACCT must address, such as infrastructures to accommodate trafficked children, transportation for field agents, and a greater involvement of local authorities in combating child trafficking. The participants asked the ministry representative to use the workshop conclusions to elaborate an action plan that will provide guidance to its IACCT partners.

Children express themselves on the wall of their classroom at the Le Bon Samaritain transit and reinsertion center of Natitingou.

Jean Djabo Biaou, Educator, keeps the long record of children rescued from traffickers that arrive at the Le Bon Samaritain transit and reinsertion center in Natitingou, northern Benin .

Ms. Elvire Ahounou Houenassou, Development Program Specialist

From November 18th to December 10th, 2008, the WJEI EMPOWER project, implemented by CARE International, took part in the United Nations “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence”, the international campaign to combat Gender Based Violence. The campaign was launched by Ambassador Gayleatha B. Brown at a conference held at the American Cultural Center. During the campaign, a large number of Beninese engaged in media events and marches calling to end violence against women.

Women march to end gender based violence in Lokossa , Benin .

Women march to end gender based violence in Cotonou , Benin .

Cotonou, November 18 - In response to Secretary Rice’s call for Missions to mark November 25th as “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” and to participate in the United Nations “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence,” the Public Diplomacy Section of the American Embassy in Cotonou hosted a conference on gender-based violence (GBV). The conference featured key players in Benin’s Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI) program including the Resident Legal Advisor from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Director of the EMPOWER (Enabling Mobilization and Policy for Women’s Rights) project of USAID’s implementing partner, non-governmental organization CARE International.

The program focused on providing Beninese magistrates and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with proven solutions to gender-based violence, a persistent and wide-spread problem in Benin.

Ambassador Gayleatha B. Brown presided over the conference. The Minister of Justice represented the Government of Benin. Featured speakers Cindy Dyer and Jan Langbein, respectively the Director and Technical Advisor of DOJ’s Office of Violence Against Women gave well-received and dynamic presentations. Other public, private and civil society organizations participated, including the first woman candidate for president in the 2006 election in Benin and President of the Association of the Women Lawyers of Benin. In addition, over twenty judges and prosecutors from every jurisdiction in the country, several NGO leaders involved in fighting GBV, and victims of violence, as well as members of the local media attended.

In his address at the opening of the conference, the Beninese Minister of Justice pledged that he and the Government of Benin will work hard to find a lasting solution to GBV. He notably made a commitment to working closely with President Boni Yayi to correct the very low representation of women in the government which, according to the participants, was also considered as a form of discrimination against women.

The DOJ speakers charted the history of the fight against domestic violence in the United States, and discussed specific legal and community solutions that had born fruit in the United States and which could be implemented in Benin in a low-cost manner. They also discussed American strategies that had failed in the fight against domestic violence, and how Benin could avoid making similar mistakes. The well-attended conference was covered by a half-dozen media.

Ms. Jeronime Mongbo, Chief of Party of the USAID-funded EMPOWER project, highlighted the role that the project plays in raising awareness about women’s rights and gender-based violence and providing support to victims. She then introduced two victims of gender-based violence who gave moving personal testimonies that put a human face to the problem and contributed to the overwhelming success of the conference.