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| A family
for homeless children in Benin |
By Sebastien
Agboton
President of the Committee for Literacy and Basic Education
in Benin |
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 Benin:
a small country (43,500 sq. mi.) with a big population (6
million), 47 per cent of which is under the age of 15. Literacy
stagnates at around 60 per cent and 40 per cent of school-age
children are not enrolled. Many of these live more and less
in the streets. To help deal with the situation, the Comité
des Activités en éducation au Bénin (CAEB) has set up a number
of homes, called MAE (Maisons d'Accueil et d'Ecoute), the
latest of which is located in Porto-Novo. Mr Sebastien Agboton,
President of CAEB, relates a conversation between two boys:
Amidou, who still lives in the street and Bossou, who has
found a new family and is now back in school.
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| Bossou:
Hi Amidou. |
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| Amidou:
Hi Bossou. Long time no see! Where've you been since the last
time we got together in the Dantolepa market in Cotonou?.
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| Bossou:
I live in Porto-Novo now. CAEB opened a home for street children
here, in the Attabe quarter. Life's better here than in Cotonou.
The staff really seem to care about us, help us tackle our problems,
and try to get us back to normal family life. Besides that,
we have running water, soap, one meal a day and a safe place
to sleep. No more worries about health problems. The counselors
help us work out money-making projects, like collecting merchandise
and delivering goods using pushcarts provided by UNESCO. We
also sell firewood through one of the girls in the 'family',
the only unmarried mother in the group. Besides the firewood,
she makes and sells cakes and peanut butter cookies which we
can buy at very low cost. At the Centre, we also have table
games and outdoor sporting equipment. |
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| Amidou:
Sounds cool! But how come you don't live with your family any
more? |
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| Bossou:
What about you? Seems to me you've been living in the street
without a family for three years. Right? Tell me about it and
then I'll tell you about myself. |
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| Amidou:
Yeah, no more family since my parents died, one five and the
other four years ago. It's been hell ever since. One night our
aunt took my two sisters away somewhere and I haven't seen them
since. I think she sold them to traffickers who shipped them
to Gabon as 'slave- girls'. I had the feeling she was cooking
up some crazy project for me instead of worrying about whether
I had something to eat or about my health, so I got out fast.
Ever since, I've been living with a gang of kids just like me.
(Amidou bursts into tears.) |
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| Bossou:
Take it easy, pal. We're in the same boat: I'm a orphan, no
money either, had to leave school and move into the streets.
But now I have a new family: the counselors at the Porto-Novo
Home and about thirty kids. We sleep in the house. There's a
lot of warmth, care, and attention. We're really happy. When
I asked for help to get back to school, Mr Sebastien Agboton,
President of CAEB and the MAE Committee, gave me a positive
recommendation, so I'll soon be back in the classroom. A counselor
(kind of legal guardian), appointed by my aunt and uncles will
handle family and legal matters. So, how about it, Amidou? Want
to join the family? |
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| Amidou:
Yeah. That would be great. But do you think CAEB would let me
continue my truck driver apprenticeship? |
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| Bossou:
No problem. Three other kids about your age are already in training
for the same job. One of them, as a matter of fact, is doing
his apprenticeship on a 30-ton truck. So, when can you come?
How about now? It's just about lunch time and I know everybody'd
be glad to see you. |
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| Amidou:
OK, let's go. |
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| Boussou
and Amidou went off to the MAE of the CAEB in the Attabe district
of Porto-Novo where the 'family' was happy to welcome a new
member. Two weeks later, Bossou returned to school and Amidou
started his apprenticeship in a nearby. They saw each other
every day, trading advice and experience. Hope had returned
to their lives. |
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