‘Les voeux de moustapha 2016 pour l’association kabé bénin’
After sharing the life and problems faced by the villagers of Kabé, it was decided to found the association in order to provide them with the necessary support and assistance. Our first goal was to provide the village with the support they needed for people to have access to education and develop their own activities to come out of their enduring isolation.
Today we also work with neighbouring communities (including Guéné, the district’s main town) to facilitate access to health care, improve living conditions and hygiene, and help people diversify in their activities.
Our intention is to encourage the management of structures and services that we participate in developing to become organised by the community independently. We also seek to closely collaborate with the various local social and administrative structures as well as government representatives.
In all our visits to Kabé we have fostered an on-site network of relationships that may be in contact with us in France to continue to advance in our projects. The commitment of these people is needed to work hand in hand with the inhabitants and to ensure the sustainability of our actions in our absence.
Strong trading links were also established with the villages that get involved with enthusiasm in each of our projects.
Work in France
Besides the events dedicated to fundraising in order to finance our projects, the association also organises exchanges and cultural events. These are aimed to explore the customs and traditions of the Fulani population and to raise public awareness and solidarity towards the South.
Activities are organised around the following:
• Information and exchange of traditional activities in North Benin with schools or colleges in France.
• Partnership with Anzin St Aubin College, René Cassin College of Loos in Gohelle, Holy Family College in Bethune.
• Participation in the Louvre Road, Nos Quartiers d’Eté, at the Loos artisans fair in Gohelle.
• Participation in the International Solidarity Week: photographic exhibition, exhibition and sale of handicrafts Benin.
• Presentation of our activities in the Association’s forum.
Our Projects
The main purpose of our actions is the operation of the school as it is literacy now more urgent for the people of the area.
The first year we brought our support and assisted in the maintenance of the school and the canteen. We also invested in school equipment.
The first major project was the reconstruction of the school. Afterwards we focused on housing to accommodate the new school director (appointed by the Ministry) and a second building with 2 classes.
We have also funded five grain mills, a health centre, a shelter for middle school in Guéné, a dining room in the canteen, accommodation for the nurses and two nursery rooms in Guéné Kabe in the area for children of 2 to 6 years (176 registered) and finally the provision of electricity in the health centre by installing new solar panels.
We want to help develop the village as a whole and help people diversify their activities (gardening and cleaning in villages for example). Our intention is that the management of village structures and services are organised by the inhabitants, independently, through a cooperative.
We work to build two boreholes and in the future to improve the track between Guéné and Kabé and further develop low bottom Kabé. This still requires special efforts of solidarity without which we could not achieve our goals.
A big thank you to all from AKB!
You may contact the Association at the following address:
7 rue Kléber
62750 LOOS EN GOHELLE, FRANCE
Tel: 03 21 42 67 50
kabe_benin@hotmail.com