Benin

Our Work in Benin

The Hunger Project has worked in Benin since 1997 and is currently mobilizing community partners to end their own hunger and poverty. Through our integrated approach to rural development, the Epicenter Strategy, we work with community partners to successfully access the basic services needed to live an independent life and achieve internationally agreed markers of success, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Thanks to this integrated working approach, THP-Benin has managed to establish 18 epicenters, in 08 different departments, 16 of which now operate independently, having declared their self-sufficiency. This initiative enabled 301,784 people living in rural areas to take care of themselves.

After more than 20 years of intervention in Benin, THP started 4 new projects in 2023, in the central and northern regions of the country, with the aim of scaling best practices. These projects are part of THP-Benin’s vision for 2027, which is to improve food and nutritional security as well as the socio-economic conditions of 450,000 people living in rural areas in Benin. This mission emphasizes the empowerment of youth, women and other vulnerable groups, underscoring THP’s commitment to creating a better future for all.

Livelihoods and Self-Reliant Communities

Achieving true local involvement, ownership and empowerment requires a mindset shift and professional training. THP-Benin and THP-Australia have joined forces in a strategic partnership to invest in the creation of the epicenter of Bouanri (Commune of Bembèrèkè) in order to have communities sustainably autonomous.

This project will strengthen communities in the areas of food security, health and nutrition, access to water, hygiene and sanitation, Gender and women’s empowerment as well as in the area of promotion of entrepreneurship. Another partnership between THP-Benin and another group of Australian investors (The Petre Foundation, Anil Sabharwal, Gretel Packer and Scott Farquhar) will help strengthen access to drinking water for the benefit of the communities in Bouanri.

Maternal and Child Nutrition

Malnutrition resulting from food insecurity and lack of nutritional knowledge is a major problem in Benin. This has led to stunted growth, anemia and inappropriate brain development in children . We fight against the problem of maternal and child malnutrition by implementing community interventions for early childhood and training facilitators in internationally recognized strategies to intervene against malnutrition: multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and nutritional actions essential (ENA). These two nutritional interventions are combined with water and sanitation (WASH) training aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of the community. This work is done in partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints .

Smart agriculture and improvement of the socio-economic situation of young people

Interest young people in innovative and resilient models of agriculture and entrepreneurship, adapted to their socio-economic development; this is the objective of the partnership between THP-Benin and Swiss donors Different cantons, communities and churches . This partnership will improve the productivity, income and resilience of young people aged 15 to 35 in the municipality of Dassa-Zoumè.

This will involve facilitating the transition from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture by promoting the use of digital technologies to arouse the interest of new generations in the agricultural sector.

Furthermore, this partnership will also invest in promoting young people’s entrepreneurship in order to enable them to discover great professional prospects.

In 2023…

• 284,740 people in autonomous epicenters
• 4,984 people trained in women’s empowerment programs
• 3,410 children benefited from monitoring of their weight and nutrition
• 1,885 people were trained in sustainable land management and adaptation to climate change

History of Benin

Formerly a French colony, Benin (then known as Dahomey) gained independence in 1960 and, after a brief shift to communism, is now very stable. Benin, a coastal country in West Africa, bordered by Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Togo, has one of the most stable democracies in all of Africa, even if certain scourges such as corruption are very noticeable in the country.

Despite recent economic growth, Benin remains one of the poorest countries in Africa and the world . Nearly 13 million people live in Benin, many of whom still lack access to basic social services and remain dependent on subsistence agriculture, threatened by climate change, further endangering already fragile livelihoods. .