Education: Programs

Pedagogical Support for Effectiveness of Primary Education Project (PESEPE):

Implemented by the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), the PESEPE has provided in-service teacher training and improved the classroom effectiveness of primary school teachers in 31 school districts of Benin since October 2005. PESEPE is the last of three phases of the in-service training activity that covered all 85 school districts of the country.

• Assisting teachers to better understand and teach the competency-based National Curriculum using child-centered methods.
• Providing the Journal of Pedagogical Exchange, the only in-service learning material the primary school teachers receive.
• Focusing on improving equity in the classroom and
• Increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in the primary education sector.

Almost 12,000 primary school teachers received in-service training, 156 school administrators were trained, and over 22,000 learning materials were provided to teachers.

Girls' Education and Community Participation Project (GECP):

USAID partners with World Education on the GECP project to increase girls' enrollment and retention in primary school in nine northern districts of Benin where the gender gap is most prominent, and the number of girls completing primary school is the lowest.

GECP activities aim to :

• Improve the capacities of the primary school parents' and mothers' associations to support girls' education
• Raise awareness about the importance of girls' education, and
• Assist girls' enrollment and monitoring their attendance.
• Increase community participation in the management and oversight of the primary schools.

The four-year project began February 2008 and will continue until January 2012.

Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program (AGSP):

As part of the African Education Initiative, the Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program started in Benin in 2004 to help the poorest children across the country go to primary school. To date, 4,600 girls have received scholarships. In 2008, 612 of the neediest boys also received scholarships.

World Education Incorporated and two local Beninese partners, Groupe d'Action pour la Justice et l'Egalité Sociale and the Association pour la Protection de l'Enfance Malheureuse, utilize an extensive and transparent community participation process to identify and support the neediest girls including victims of child trafficking, the hearing impaired, and other special needs girls.

The average worth of the scholarships is $100 USD. Scholarships may include school uniforms, school bags, school supplies, and a lantern for night study, textbooks, and food.

Teachers, professional women, and other community members mentor scholars providing support in HIV/AIDS awareness, academic counseling, and life skills.

The program is active in 40 schools in ten school districts throughout Benin.

Integrated Approach to Combating Child Trafficking Project (IACCT):

USAID partnered with UNICEF to combat child trafficking in Benin. The project began in October 2005 and is extended until December 2009. The overall objective of the IACCT is to support the Government of Benin in its efforts to combat child trafficking through an integrated approach. The project has three specific goals:

• Improving the knowledge and data related to child trafficking in Benin;
• Significantly reduce the incidence of child trafficking in the country;
• Provide standardized quality care and integration services to child victims of trafficking.

UNICEF has strengthened the local committees that monitor and prevent trafficking, and has created 200 new committees in the northern Atacora and Borgou departments. Campaigns to raise awareness against child trafficking have also reached over 35,000 people in the most endemic communities.

To date, 380 victims of trafficking have been assisted and reintegrated into their families and school.

IACT has developed a code of conduct for transporters based on the ant-trafficking law. The code of conduct has been translated into two local languages, and 1,000 copies have been distributed within ten districts of northern Benin. The majority of transporters in the project zones have signed the code, committing themselves to do their part in combating child trafficking in Benin.

Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI)/EMPOWER

The Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative is a three-year, $55 million presidential initiative implemented in four African countries. EMPOWER will work to assist Benin in:

• Raising awareness about violence against women
• Strengthening the capacity of national and local structures to meet the needs of victims of violence and
• Strengthening the legal framework of Benin in the implementation of laws on violence against women.

  In Benin, the non-governmental organization Care International was mandated to carry out the first two components of this project. From a total cost of $5,546,000, the project "EMPOWER" will help to reduce violence in the 77 communes of Benin. The project will work closely with the "Strengthening the Legal Framework of Benin" component to be executed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

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