AFRICA/BENIN - Service centers for more than 500 needy children

Porto-Novo (Agenzia Fides) - There are many children who live in a state of poverty in Benin. To address this phenomenon, there are various initiatives. Among these is an ongoing project of the Spanish NGO Educo together with the local organization Foyer Don Bosco, to help more than 500 children from various cities of the southern African Country, Ouémé, Plateau and Littoral. Twice a week, educators go around the markets in search of children who live on the streets, to ensure their safety and provide assistance in the "shacks" that the organization has in these villages. These shacks are a kind of makeshift classrooms, where educators and experts assist children in recreational, cultural and sports activities, as well as providing basic education, especially literacy. Educators also try to meet the children’s parents to determine, through social studies, their condition and evaluate whether there is a chance for them to return to their families or at school. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 27/02/2015)