FONDATION REINE HANGBE

Fondation Reine Hangbe (FRH) is a non-governmental organization founded in 2005. Its members are primarily women human rights activists dedicated to the improvement of women's economic and social statute in Benin, including children, especially girls through its engagement on education women's human rights, hygiene and nutrition. The organization is nonpolitical, non-denominational, and non-for profit. Why Reine Hangbe? Hangbe is the name of the only queen, daughter of Houegbadja, twin of Akaba, who reigned in the kingdom of Danhomey (the current Benin Republic) between 1708 and 1711. According to oral history, she was very influential and powerful among family and leaders. Her ideas... read more Fondation Reine Hangbe (FRH) is a non-governmental organization founded in 2005. Its members are primarily women human rights activists dedicated to the improvement of women's economic and social statute in Benin, including children, especially girls through its engagement on education women's human rights, hygiene and nutrition. The organization is nonpolitical, non-denominational, and non-for profit. Why Reine Hangbe? Hangbe is the name of the only queen, daughter of Houegbadja, twin of Akaba, who reigned in the kingdom of Danhomey (the current Benin Republic) between 1708 and 1711. According to oral history, she was very influential and powerful among family and leaders. Her ideas are related to equity between men and women were quite "avant-gardiste": among other things, she obliged her father to ensure women are taught all the craft as men, created the army of amazons which was later sustained by the King Ghezo. By the use of her name, FRH wants to promote women empowerment and emancipation and restore her history in the popular imagination and show that political leadership is possible for women too. The mission of Fondation Reine Hangbe is to promote a non-violent society where women and girls are valued as human being, and have equal access to education and other public services. Furthermore, FRH focuses on access to nutrition, safe and healthy environment alongside with the promotion of the spirit of sharing and volunteerism. For years, FRH has been engaging on gender-based violence at school and in the communities and adult education, etc. Recently, as part of achieving its objective of contributing to free quality public education and to the improvement of learning outcomes, FRH purchased an old bus and transformed it into a mobile library (bibliobus) to promote reading and connect children and adults to books in Porto Novo and beyond. In the frame of this project called Bibliobus: 1 child, 1 book, the mobile library, visits once a month the group of 20 schools selected to provide access to books to the students of primary and secondary public schools. The Bibliobus has also extended its actions to public places during holidays, in order to target out of schools children and adults, and change the perception that books are only in schools.