• Domaine :

  Water

• Région :

  Africa

• Pays :

  Benin

  Vidéo

The project:

Drilling of a motor-pump-equipped well and a vegetable garden in a small village in the Grand Popo commune in Benin, 150 km west of Cotonou (West Africa).  

The request:

May 15 2015

From: Bénin Enfants Sains
To: Fondation Coup de Cœur

Dear Ms. Fatima and Mr. Gagnon,

On behalf of the Bénin Enfants Sains charitable organisation (No 80 307 1695 RR001), following various telephone discussions, we are requesting financial assistance for the installation and drilling of a motor-pump-equipped well and the construction of a community garden. The latter will be set up and maintained by a team of women and men from the village under the supervision of the town chief. The Canadian NGO Bénin Enfants Sains will be the prime contractor and the funding needed is $1,800.
Relevance of the project:
The Grand Popo commune has 50 villages, many of which have no access to drinking water. Drinking contaminated water causes severe diarrhea in young children and many parasitic diseases lead to high malnourishment rates. 
In Benin, 16% of children die before the age of 5 and 43% suffer from chronic malnutrition. This percentage is above the 39% average observed in Sub-Saharan Africa: 
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/12/19/world-bank-benin-malnutrition-mothers-children
Protein and vitamin deficiencies cause significant malnutrition rates (kwashiorkor and marasmus).
Transparency and good governance:
Benin, a small country in West Africa, has been under good governance for quite some time, but the lack of natural resources has prevented desirable improvement of the survival of young children who often suffer from malaria, malnutrition, severe diarrhea, and lung infections. 
I will be in Benin in June 2015 and January 2016 to follow up with my Beninese coordinator who is permanently on location. An agronomist from Cotonou (Benin’s economic capital) will also monitor the work on the garden. 
We will be able to inaugurate the well and the garden in January-February 2016. 
Impact: 
The installation of the well will drastically transform the lives of 400 people who currently live without drinking water. This well will eliminate water-related diseases and will ensure the irrigation of the garden, which will provide essential nutrients for the health of young children. 
Sustainability: 
The Bénin Enfants Saints organisation will supervise the meetings of local leaders for the maintenance of the garden and the well, as well as equal harvest distribution.
The Bénin Enfants Sains NGO is committed to provide photos of different stages of the work done, as well as the big inauguration event of the garden and the well. 
The annual report will also show how the health of children and the local community has improved. 
On my behalf and that of the locals, thank you very much. 

Louise Leduc 
President, Bénin Enfants Sains 
Beninenfantssains.org 


Financial contributions: