By Geoff Burnett | HANDS AROUND THE WORLD Benin project co-ordinator
HANDS AROUND THE WORLD supporters currently sponsor 52 orphans to attend primary and secondary schools with 6 years of funding promised. The programme started in April 2010. 4 students are now also sponsored to attend Calavi/Abomey University in Cotonou. Dieudonne (DD) has escorted them to the University for their enrollment following their success in the Baccalaureate. Also within this programme there are 7 apprentices in current training.
Medical support has been given to five young people in Affame with funding from past volunteer group members and others. Those helped are Aubin, Herve, Clement, Mikhail and Soulange.
Every Saturday around 16 orphans attend computer lessons with Natalie (DD’s wife) or Adeline Affaton, with help from HATW supporters.
The three Dogba classrooms are very nearly finished. Two are in use and the third requires a row of roofing tiles before completion. A stairway structure will be modified to permit two entry points. Plastering and painting has not been done yet but is essential.
Flooding this year lasted for three months but did not enter the three classrooms. Our visit necessitated a long crossing by pirogue (dug-out canoe) - estimated to be around one mile from Aschonsa - and a walk in the river and mud up to our knees!
Dieudonne has the first contract for the production of roofing tiles using the Parry machine. He aims to supply around 600 tiles to Raphael for the village. He was given start-up funding for cement from 2 volunteers.
Children who have lost both parents are particularly vulnerable and following the death of one parent, sometimes the children are rejected or are maltreated by the new wife or new husband.
There is the need for a centre for the protection of young orphans and young physically handicapped and for their training and development which we would like to see undertaken through HATW soon. 600 sq. metres of land in Affame has been purchased and cleared in preparation for a centre
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
