Supporting village children into school in Benin

I have recently returned from my first visit to Benin for 2 ½ years. It was wonderful to see my old friends and the orphanage children had prepared a joyous welcoming dance. The most important news is that all the children at Chez Papa Geoff have settled in well and now form a cheerful, supportive family.

Sadly, two well known characters have died. Francois the DJ with whom I felt a close link as we were both polio survivors. Also Cee Cee, who had severe learning difficulties but wandered cheerfully round the village “accepting” donations from all and sundry. It says a lot for the village that he was well supported in this, entirely voluntary, manner.

On a wider front there are some obstacles to overcome. The farm desperately needs a hefty dose of agricultural lime to correct soil acidity. We have failed to find a supplier in Benin so are now trying Nigeria as it is only 20 miles away.

The second problem looming over CPG, and all other orphanages in Benin, are the demands being made by government inspectors. We have always made a conscious effort to keep the conditions in CPG as close to those prevailing in the local community as possible. Some improvements have been both inevitable and desirable but we have kept these to things which could be widely afforded by the villagers.

For example:

• Solar lighting
• Solar pump to raise water from well to a cistern on roof of orphanage which provides running water for showers, laundry and cooking    
• Mosquito netting on all windows
• Composting toilets

These provide a safe, odour free (largely!) and environmentally safe way of disposing of human waste and using it as much needed fertilizer on local fields. Work in South Africa has shown that the output from 25 people can restore fertility to over 2 hectares which can feed more than 25 people. 

The “improvements” suggested so far by the inspectors would, in most cases  be far too expensive for the rest of the local community and some would be a distinct health and environmental hazard. We are hoping to negotiate with the inspectors to find a solution as the orphanage works so well as it is... a real family environment. 

There are 23 children currently living at Chez Papa Geoff (CPG) ranging from age eight up to seventeen. The care provided at CPG has dramatically improved the life chances of these children. For one little girl, the project probably saved her life. She had been left with her grandfather who was unable to look after her. When she moved to CPG, she was severely malnourished and physically very weak. She is still small for her age but is now growing well and becoming much stronger. She is struggling at school because she missed so much and has only very basic French language skills. We are looking into how we can help by getting her some more individual support to enable her to catch up.

Thank you for supporting this project and the children in Affame. 

After a gap of more than 2 years when I have been unable to visit Benin, I am hoping to get there later this year. Communication via the internet is somewhat spotty but we somehow manage.

Dieu Donne decided that the orphanage needed a repaint and the work has just started; plenty of bright colours.

The invasion of Ukraine looks set to cause many problems especially for Africa. Benin is fortunate in that the southern region has abundant rainfall for at least one and sometimes two crops a year. However the transition from subsistence farming to producing consistent surpluses is neither easy nor fast. This process is further complicated by the huge recent increase in the cost of fertilizer. This further complicates the process, as many of the local soils have been seriously impoverished, especially of potash.

Edible oils is one of the areas where Ukraine production was very important on world markets. Dieu Donne has already decided to increase the area planted with peanuts. Both peanut and palm oil are grown at Chez Papa Geoff. Peanuts are useful as they fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil which is then better able to support maize. In fact these two crops are often grown together.

Their tractors are now 60-70 years old and are still functioning in the harsh local conditions. This says a lot for both the ability of Dieu Donne as a mechanic and the simple robust design of the Fordson Majors which HATW shipped from Britain 7 years ago. We have to source spares from GB but at least they are plentiful and cheap. Shipping costs, however, have sky rocketed recently. Overall, things are looking hopeful for the project, in spite of the turmoil in Europe.