Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults in Benin are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Starting to build, renovate and equip 90 primary and secondary classrooms and34 nurseries – increasing schoolattendance by improving physicallearning environments

• Distributing 30,000 free insecticide-treated bed nets to children under fiveto protect against malaria, a major child killer

• Constructing 36 boreholes providing 6,250 people with safe, clean drinkingwater near their homes all year round, reducing waterborne diseases.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BEN

Insecticide-treated bed-nets – crucial to the fightagainst malaria – are distributed

p

Challenge and change in BeninIt’s been a busy year for Plan in Benin. In spite of some economic progress and newefforts by the Government, poverty and inequality have not decreased. Benin is alsofacing the threat of bird flu.

Plan’s priorities include improving health, education, living conditions and incomelevels. Benin suffers from child trafficking and child labour as well as forced and earlymarriage, so raising awareness of children’s rights and child protection are also crucialto our work. We provide training for police, schools and local government, andsupport a children’s parliament and media activities so that children themselves canmake their voices heard.

As Plan’s Country Director, Mahamadou Tounkara, says: “Plan will continue to bringchildren’s issues higher on the national agenda and to strive for

a brighter future for Benin’s children.”

In this Country Progress Report we look indetail at just one of the hundreds ofsuccessful projects that your support hasmade possible.

Benin country factsPopulation: 8.4 million

Capital: Porto-Novo

United Nations Human DevelopmentIndex ranking: 163rd (out of 177 countries)

Life expectancy: 55 years

People without safe drinking water: 33%

Adults who can read and write: 35%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

A community team collect data on children’s healthp

Country ProgressReport 2007

Benin

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Benin13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults in Benin are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Starting to build, renovate and equip 90 primary and secondary classrooms and34 nurseries – increasing schoolattendance by improving physicallearning environments

• Distributing 30,000 free insecticide-treated bed nets to children under fiveto protect against malaria, a major child killer

• Constructing 36 boreholes providing 6,250 people with safe, clean drinkingwater near their homes all year round, reducing waterborne diseases.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BEN

Insecticide-treated bed-nets – crucial to the fightagainst malaria – are distributed

p

Challenge and change in BeninIt’s been a busy year for Plan in Benin. In spite of some economic progress and newefforts by the Government, poverty and inequality have not decreased. Benin is alsofacing the threat of bird flu.

Plan’s priorities include improving health, education, living conditions and incomelevels. Benin suffers from child trafficking and child labour as well as forced and earlymarriage, so raising awareness of children’s rights and child protection are also crucialto our work. We provide training for police, schools and local government, andsupport a children’s parliament and media activities so that children themselves canmake their voices heard.

As Plan’s Country Director, Mahamadou Tounkara, says: “Plan will continue to bringchildren’s issues higher on the national agenda and to strive for

a brighter future for Benin’s children.”

In this Country Progress Report we look indetail at just one of the hundreds ofsuccessful projects that your support hasmade possible.

Benin country factsPopulation: 8.4 million

Capital: Porto-Novo

United Nations Human DevelopmentIndex ranking: 163rd (out of 177 countries)

Life expectancy: 55 years

People without safe drinking water: 33%

Adults who can read and write: 35%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

A community team collect data on children’s healthp

Country ProgressReport 2007

Benin

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Benin13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

from family members. Many adolescentgirls in Benin, for example, knownothing about puberty and reproduction.

The girls who participated in campGLOW are now better equipped to stayin school, succeed in their educationsand become the role models of the nextgeneration.

Girls got important informationthey would not otherwise have learned in school or from family members.

Forty-eight girls took part. Althoughthis in itself is not a huge number, theparticipants will be able to take thesenew-found skills back to their respectivecommunities to share with other girlsthrough formal presentations about theCamp. In turn, those other girls will passknowledge onto others, producing a“ripple effect” that will advance Benin’sdevelopment far into the future.

The Camp is a week-long event inPorto-Novo, Benin’s capital, bringinggirls together for a week of variedactivities, both educational and fun.

GLOW stands for “Girls Leading OurWorld” – and the Camp is all aboutgiving girls the skills and confidence totake a lead in their communities and inthe future of Benin. It’s important in acountry where women’s (and girls’)views and opinions are oftenoverlooked, and female empowermentis needed to drive forward the country’sdevelopment.

Plan provided financial support for theproject, and half the participants camefrom communities Plan works with.

The Camp began on Monday, with anopening ceremony involving the USAmbassador, the Mayor of Porto-Novo,the Minister of Education andrepresentatives from Plan.

Later that day, the girls played a gamethemed on gender issues as a fun wayin to discussing gender roles in Benin,and Beninese charity Victory Way spokeabout the importance of education,women’s rights, sexual harassment andconflict resolution techniques.

On Tuesday, the girls learned aboutHIV/AIDS, and two women living withHIV shared their experiences. Thatafternoon, a local artisan helped thegirls to create their own beadednecklaces, and volunteers working inthe Beninese educational system talkedwith the girls about time managementand honing their study skills. That night,there were games.

On Wednesday, local artisans spoke tothe girls about the importance ofrecycling and taught them how to makedecorative objects out of plastic bags. A respected female politician also talkedabout the rights of women and children

within the Beninese legal system. Thatafternoon, the girls visited theEthnographic Museum, where theylearned about the different regions ofBenin and its history. In the evening,the girls were given time to prepare forthe talent show later in the week.

The girls encountered womenwho had overcome the odds tobecome respected and sometimesrenowned members of society.

Thursday saw a talk by a midwife

about puberty and reproduction, and

participants learned about nutrition and

how to identify and use the Moringa

tree, which grows abundantly

throughout Benin and has exceptional

nutritional properties.

The girls learned how to recognize thetree and incorporate it into their foods.That afternoon, girls visited ProjectSonghai, a progressive agriculturalcentre. Later that evening, volunteersorganised a dance party for allparticipants.

On Friday, volunteers led a session onenvironmental protection, and womenrepresenting various medicalprofessions, teachers, a politician and anagriculturalist took part in a careerpanel, speaking to the girls about theirrespective professions, as well as sharedwisdom on overcoming the odds and

succeeding both in school and in theworkplace.

That afternoon, the girls attended asession on financial planning. In theevening, the girls performed in thetalent show, and all Camp participantssang, danced and shared lessonslearned around a campfire. Theydiscussed what was the most importantinformation ascertained at Camp GLOW, and how girls can share thatinformation with other girls in their owncommunities.

On Saturday, the final morning,volunteers led a session on goal-settingand how to formulate steps needed toattain goals. Each girl came up with alife goal, such as becoming a doctor,and wrote down both short-term andlong-term actions she could perform inorder to attain her stated goal, such aspaying attention in class, working hardin biology and attending university. Allthe girls received certificates and theCamp was drawn to a close.

Achieving goalsThe girls who took part in the Campgained knowledge, self-confidence andencountered women who had overcomethe odds to become respected andsometimes renowned members ofsociety. Most importantly, the girls gotimportant information they would nototherwise have learned in school or

Learning through play at Camp GLOWp

The girls at Camp GLOW, assembling at the beginning of the dayp

Girls Leading Our WorldLast June, 48 girls attended this year’s imaginatively named Camp GLOW.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

from family members. Many adolescentgirls in Benin, for example, knownothing about puberty and reproduction.

The girls who participated in campGLOW are now better equipped to stayin school, succeed in their educationsand become the role models of the nextgeneration.

Girls got important informationthey would not otherwise have learned in school or from family members.

Forty-eight girls took part. Althoughthis in itself is not a huge number, theparticipants will be able to take thesenew-found skills back to their respectivecommunities to share with other girlsthrough formal presentations about theCamp. In turn, those other girls will passknowledge onto others, producing a“ripple effect” that will advance Benin’sdevelopment far into the future.

The Camp is a week-long event inPorto-Novo, Benin’s capital, bringinggirls together for a week of variedactivities, both educational and fun.

GLOW stands for “Girls Leading OurWorld” – and the Camp is all aboutgiving girls the skills and confidence totake a lead in their communities and inthe future of Benin. It’s important in acountry where women’s (and girls’)views and opinions are oftenoverlooked, and female empowermentis needed to drive forward the country’sdevelopment.

Plan provided financial support for theproject, and half the participants camefrom communities Plan works with.

The Camp began on Monday, with anopening ceremony involving the USAmbassador, the Mayor of Porto-Novo,the Minister of Education andrepresentatives from Plan.

Later that day, the girls played a gamethemed on gender issues as a fun wayin to discussing gender roles in Benin,and Beninese charity Victory Way spokeabout the importance of education,women’s rights, sexual harassment andconflict resolution techniques.

On Tuesday, the girls learned aboutHIV/AIDS, and two women living withHIV shared their experiences. Thatafternoon, a local artisan helped thegirls to create their own beadednecklaces, and volunteers working inthe Beninese educational system talkedwith the girls about time managementand honing their study skills. That night,there were games.

On Wednesday, local artisans spoke tothe girls about the importance ofrecycling and taught them how to makedecorative objects out of plastic bags. A respected female politician also talkedabout the rights of women and children

within the Beninese legal system. Thatafternoon, the girls visited theEthnographic Museum, where theylearned about the different regions ofBenin and its history. In the evening,the girls were given time to prepare forthe talent show later in the week.

The girls encountered womenwho had overcome the odds tobecome respected and sometimesrenowned members of society.

Thursday saw a talk by a midwife

about puberty and reproduction, and

participants learned about nutrition and

how to identify and use the Moringa

tree, which grows abundantly

throughout Benin and has exceptional

nutritional properties.

The girls learned how to recognize thetree and incorporate it into their foods.That afternoon, girls visited ProjectSonghai, a progressive agriculturalcentre. Later that evening, volunteersorganised a dance party for allparticipants.

On Friday, volunteers led a session onenvironmental protection, and womenrepresenting various medicalprofessions, teachers, a politician and anagriculturalist took part in a careerpanel, speaking to the girls about theirrespective professions, as well as sharedwisdom on overcoming the odds and

succeeding both in school and in theworkplace.

That afternoon, the girls attended asession on financial planning. In theevening, the girls performed in thetalent show, and all Camp participantssang, danced and shared lessonslearned around a campfire. Theydiscussed what was the most importantinformation ascertained at Camp GLOW, and how girls can share thatinformation with other girls in their owncommunities.

On Saturday, the final morning,volunteers led a session on goal-settingand how to formulate steps needed toattain goals. Each girl came up with alife goal, such as becoming a doctor,and wrote down both short-term andlong-term actions she could perform inorder to attain her stated goal, such aspaying attention in class, working hardin biology and attending university. Allthe girls received certificates and theCamp was drawn to a close.

Achieving goalsThe girls who took part in the Campgained knowledge, self-confidence andencountered women who had overcomethe odds to become respected andsometimes renowned members ofsociety. Most importantly, the girls gotimportant information they would nototherwise have learned in school or

Learning through play at Camp GLOWp

The girls at Camp GLOW, assembling at the beginning of the dayp

Girls Leading Our WorldLast June, 48 girls attended this year’s imaginatively named Camp GLOW.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

from family members. Many adolescentgirls in Benin, for example, knownothing about puberty and reproduction.

The girls who participated in campGLOW are now better equipped to stayin school, succeed in their educationsand become the role models of the nextgeneration.

Girls got important informationthey would not otherwise have learned in school or from family members.

Forty-eight girls took part. Althoughthis in itself is not a huge number, theparticipants will be able to take thesenew-found skills back to their respectivecommunities to share with other girlsthrough formal presentations about theCamp. In turn, those other girls will passknowledge onto others, producing a“ripple effect” that will advance Benin’sdevelopment far into the future.

The Camp is a week-long event inPorto-Novo, Benin’s capital, bringinggirls together for a week of variedactivities, both educational and fun.

GLOW stands for “Girls Leading OurWorld” – and the Camp is all aboutgiving girls the skills and confidence totake a lead in their communities and inthe future of Benin. It’s important in acountry where women’s (and girls’)views and opinions are oftenoverlooked, and female empowermentis needed to drive forward the country’sdevelopment.

Plan provided financial support for theproject, and half the participants camefrom communities Plan works with.

The Camp began on Monday, with anopening ceremony involving the USAmbassador, the Mayor of Porto-Novo,the Minister of Education andrepresentatives from Plan.

Later that day, the girls played a gamethemed on gender issues as a fun wayin to discussing gender roles in Benin,and Beninese charity Victory Way spokeabout the importance of education,women’s rights, sexual harassment andconflict resolution techniques.

On Tuesday, the girls learned aboutHIV/AIDS, and two women living withHIV shared their experiences. Thatafternoon, a local artisan helped thegirls to create their own beadednecklaces, and volunteers working inthe Beninese educational system talkedwith the girls about time managementand honing their study skills. That night,there were games.

On Wednesday, local artisans spoke tothe girls about the importance ofrecycling and taught them how to makedecorative objects out of plastic bags. A respected female politician also talkedabout the rights of women and children

within the Beninese legal system. Thatafternoon, the girls visited theEthnographic Museum, where theylearned about the different regions ofBenin and its history. In the evening,the girls were given time to prepare forthe talent show later in the week.

The girls encountered womenwho had overcome the odds tobecome respected and sometimesrenowned members of society.

Thursday saw a talk by a midwife

about puberty and reproduction, and

participants learned about nutrition and

how to identify and use the Moringa

tree, which grows abundantly

throughout Benin and has exceptional

nutritional properties.

The girls learned how to recognize thetree and incorporate it into their foods.That afternoon, girls visited ProjectSonghai, a progressive agriculturalcentre. Later that evening, volunteersorganised a dance party for allparticipants.

On Friday, volunteers led a session onenvironmental protection, and womenrepresenting various medicalprofessions, teachers, a politician and anagriculturalist took part in a careerpanel, speaking to the girls about theirrespective professions, as well as sharedwisdom on overcoming the odds and

succeeding both in school and in theworkplace.

That afternoon, the girls attended asession on financial planning. In theevening, the girls performed in thetalent show, and all Camp participantssang, danced and shared lessonslearned around a campfire. Theydiscussed what was the most importantinformation ascertained at Camp GLOW, and how girls can share thatinformation with other girls in their owncommunities.

On Saturday, the final morning,volunteers led a session on goal-settingand how to formulate steps needed toattain goals. Each girl came up with alife goal, such as becoming a doctor,and wrote down both short-term andlong-term actions she could perform inorder to attain her stated goal, such aspaying attention in class, working hardin biology and attending university. Allthe girls received certificates and theCamp was drawn to a close.

Achieving goalsThe girls who took part in the Campgained knowledge, self-confidence andencountered women who had overcomethe odds to become respected andsometimes renowned members ofsociety. Most importantly, the girls gotimportant information they would nototherwise have learned in school or

Learning through play at Camp GLOWp

The girls at Camp GLOW, assembling at the beginning of the dayp

Girls Leading Our WorldLast June, 48 girls attended this year’s imaginatively named Camp GLOW.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults in Benin are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Starting to build, renovate and equip 90 primary and secondary classrooms and34 nurseries – increasing schoolattendance by improving physicallearning environments

• Distributing 30,000 free insecticide-treated bed nets to children under fiveto protect against malaria, a major child killer

• Constructing 36 boreholes providing 6,250 people with safe, clean drinkingwater near their homes all year round, reducing waterborne diseases.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BEN

Insecticide-treated bed-nets – crucial to the fightagainst malaria – are distributed

p

Challenge and change in BeninIt’s been a busy year for Plan in Benin. In spite of some economic progress and newefforts by the Government, poverty and inequality have not decreased. Benin is alsofacing the threat of bird flu.

Plan’s priorities include improving health, education, living conditions and incomelevels. Benin suffers from child trafficking and child labour as well as forced and earlymarriage, so raising awareness of children’s rights and child protection are also crucialto our work. We provide training for police, schools and local government, andsupport a children’s parliament and media activities so that children themselves canmake their voices heard.

As Plan’s Country Director, Mahamadou Tounkara, says: “Plan will continue to bringchildren’s issues higher on the national agenda and to strive for

a brighter future for Benin’s children.”

In this Country Progress Report we look indetail at just one of the hundreds ofsuccessful projects that your support hasmade possible.

Benin country factsPopulation: 8.4 million

Capital: Porto-Novo

United Nations Human DevelopmentIndex ranking: 163rd (out of 177 countries)

Life expectancy: 55 years

People without safe drinking water: 33%

Adults who can read and write: 35%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

A community team collect data on children’s healthp

Country ProgressReport 2007

Benin

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Benin13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT