A Nantes high school helps a town of Benin to preserve its foods more efficiently

"Veolia has many relations with the Monge High School, including technician recruitment, trainee counseling, partnerships with the learning section, etc. All these bonds augur well for the success of this second operation in Ouessé."

Michel Guitton

The Monge La Chauvinière High School is a general technological and professional school with 1 200 students, located north of Nantes. It dispenses a variety of vocational training at many levels, and particularly the technician diploma in maintenance of energy and climatic systems, under a partnership with the VeoliaAtlantique Campus and the Directorate of vocation training and learning of the Regional Council of the Loire region.

A demonstrated local need

In 2010, the commune of Ouessé, located in the center-south of Benin, benefited from a humanitarian project supported by the Veolia Foundation, which led to the installation of two cold rooms, in partnership with the secondary school of this town of 90 000 inhabitants. The success of this operation demonstrated a serious need for the cold storage of foods, and a genuine demand of the population of Ouessé for ice and for cold beverages.

A multipartner project

A new project was therefore launched in 2011 by feasibility studies and technical design, the preparation of drawings, the selection of the equipment and tools, and the quest for funds. It is carried out in France by the eight students of the refrigeration and airconditioning technician class (TFCA) of the Monge La Chauvinière High School and their three teachers, in cooperation with the school administration, the General Council, the Regional Council and Chauviglace, a nonprofit specially created for this operation. It is supported in Benin by Association Udesco (Union pour le développement économique social et culturel de Ouessé), the CEG1 secondary school, the municipality and the community leader of Ouessé.

Collaboration with local players

The project consists of the installation of a cold room to contribute to rural development by producing ice for the preservation of foods on the market and by freezing water for the food needs of the people of Ouessé. The construction and finishing of the installation are carried out in the Ouessé secondary school, with the participation of the students and the resident technician trained on the spot. Profits from the sale of ice will help create a job and buy the supplies for the CEG1 secondary school. The operation includes the purchase and transport of the equipment and tools, travel and accommodation of the group of students and their teachers, and all the administrative and medical needs.

OTHER PROJECT SUPPORTED

La Chauvinière Professional High School: Exchanges of technology (cold room) and expertise between a professional high school in France and an agriculture high school in Côte d'Ivoire
Domain: Humanitarian and Development
Country: Ivory Coast
Endowment: 2009/03/31
> Learn more about this project