© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
Benin

Making Up Lost Years of School

© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant

In Benin, nearly 1.5 million children are deprived of formal education due to their age, lack of resources, isolation or parents' refusal to send them to school. Since 2011, Helvetas has been supporting the establishment and management of centers where children can catch up on their schooling to acquire basic and life skills.

  • Project Name
    Alternative Schooling for Early School Leavers
  • Project Phase
    2021 to 2025
  • Funding
    This project is an SDC mandate.
  • Thematic focus
    Education and Vocational Skills

Back to school

Benin has made great strides in improving access to basic education. However, nearly 1.5 million children have had to drop out of school because they cannot afford it or because their parents need them to work or are unaware of the value of school.

Through the program, Helvetas supports 98 centers in the northeast of the country where young people can make up the schooling they have missed out on. Many of these centers, called barkas, also allow students to learn simple handicrafts that give them an idea of possible vocational training paths after school. Approximately 10,000 out-of-school children, including 6,000 girls, have returned to school.

© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
A woman is explaining how to operate the loom. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
A woman weaving. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
Women at work on looms. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
In Benin, tailoring is also a popular profession for young men. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
The school lessons are designed according to modern methods that enable children to learn actively. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
The teaching aids have also been specially developed. Initially the lessons are held in the local language, then also in French. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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The barka alternative education centers are firmly rooted in the communities, with the local authorities taking the initiative to set them up and residents helping to build the small school buildings. The recruitment of children from 9 to 15 years old is done by the communities, who are also involved in the management of the centers and the promotion of the project activities.

The fact that the children are first taught in the local language, then in French, has helped allay the parents’ worries and build their trust. With the support of the community, these schools also organize cultural activities so that the children can learn about local traditions and culture. Much of the food served at barka cafeterias is grown in the school vegetable garden. Where necessary, wells are dug and latrines installed at the schools.

In 2019, the barka centers were integrated into the new Education Sector Plan 2019-2030 and have since become part of the official educational offer.

The program has also accompanied Benin in the development of a Strategy for the Reinforcement of Educational Alternatives (SRAE), which should allow for the rapid reschooling of a large number of children who have not completed their education.

© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
«I love my school. Because I don’t get beaten here and because there’s something to eat here too. I can learn how to read in my language here.»

Soule Soudick (12), pupil, Benin

© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
In the school hours, the children catch up with the missing learning material. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
Arithmetic plays an important role in this. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
The pupils create a school garden and the harvest enriches the menu in the school canteen. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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In the school garden, the children learn a lot about how to raise vegetables. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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In the school garden, the children learn a lot about how to raise vegetables. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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In the school garden, the children learn a lot about how to raise vegetables. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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© Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
The girls and boys are proud of their own vegetables. © Helvetas/Stephane Brabant
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Education and Vocational Skills

Lack of education perpetuates inequality because poor countries cannot compete economically without a skilled workforce.

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