The project consists in the implementation of a farm next to the hospitality center (C.A.R.F. Francesco Massaro) and the nutritional one co-managed by Aleimar and Sisters of the OCPSP (involved in socio-humanitarian purposes) for over ten years. The aim is to contribute to enhance the diet of the children and more generally to the self-sustainability of the two already existing structures. The beneficiaries are 130 children, in fact the project has not only a great economic value but human too.
Poor access to proper maternal health care services in Abomey results in many women dying in childbirth, leaving many newborn babies with nobody to care for them. As the existing centre could not cope with such struggle, ALEIMAR opened a new hospitality centre (C.A.R.F. Francesco Massaro) in 2006, presently hosting more than 130 children. Supporting such a high number of children is a long term, expensive commitment which requires sustainable well-thought solutions.
The project aims to build an innovating and sustainable farm on a plot of about 17,000 sq.m (a bequest in favour of the OCPSP institute), that can facilitate food production to support the daily nutritional needs of the children in the centres, substantially increasing calories intake but also promoting a more varied and balanced diet. The farm will give the people of Abomey the infrastructures and tools to improve agricultural productivity and stimulating the development of local markets.
Gradually, we aim to devolve the management of the farm to the local people, empowering them to be in charge of all agricultural activities, as well as promoting business start ups so that the farm and the centres will be financially self-sustainable. It would stimulate self-employment and generating new opportunities for the people of Abomey. We aim at working with the women and the hospital to prevent them from dying in childbirth through better support and health care.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
