A school and water for Bembéréké

"This project will very rapidly improve the health of families and allow women more time to devote themselves to schooling, new economic activities, and new jobs. I am convinced that with the involvement of all the economic and social actors concerned this project will result in concrete and positive results for the people."
Sylvie Petit

The Boronu France-Bénin association was set up in May 2011 with the aim of providing assistance to the town of Bembéréké, in northeast Benin. It works to improve education conditions and facilitate access to water.
 
2013, new classrooms for a school in Bembéréké
In 2013, for the first time, the Veolia Foundation supported Boronu France-Bénin in a project to rebuild a school. The mayor of Bembéréké and the pupils’ parents joined forces to provide a new school building. The aim was to build three new classrooms for students then taking classes in a space with beaten earth floors.
 
These new spaces accommodate 300 children who will benefit from better teaching conditions. The pupils’ parents were involved in the project by helping to dismantle the old classrooms, and clearing the land after the demolition ready for rebuilding. The local authority provided the land and representatives of the association in Benin were responsible for looking after the area during the building work and monitoring progress.
 
2016, 2017, boreholes equipped with human powered pumps
People in the district of Gamia have an inadequate supply of drinking water, which means they have to make use of water from creeks and traditional wells. As women are usually responsible for collecting water, they are the most affected by the situation. In 2016, the Veolia Foundation renewed its support for the Boronu France-Bénin association in a district a few kilometres from Bembéréké through a project to drill and install a human powered pump. Thanks to the support of the Foundation, in 2017the project can be duplicated: more boreholes equipped with human powered pumps are planned in ten districts in the municipality of Bembéréké. The new infrastructure is accompanied by a project management and monitoring organization.
 
It involves a major social mobilization campaign in the districts and villages. The first step is to inform and educate the communities and the first operators of these sites about the new strategy, the expected benefits, and the limitations. It also aims to explain the logistics, the constraints, and the expected benefits with a view getting the public behind the project.
 
Creating new infrastructure will lead to ten drinking water associations (ACEPs) being set up. These organizations, which will bring together the actual actors and direct beneficiaries of the project, will serve as the institutional basis for maintaining the installations.
 
Apart from providing a safe water supply, the project also acts as a community driving force: setting up management associations will create several jobs, and all the activity that is generated will fuel the development of the community.