As a member of Emmaus International, each year the Abbé Pierre Foundation funds a whole host of international solidarity projects. In 2015, the Foundation joined forces with Emmaus International to fund projects aimed at improving the accommodation offered by Emmaus associations on 4 continents. This week, we head to Benin.
AFRICA, Benin > Building accommodation for companions at the Pobé factory
Emmaus Tohouè (Benin) helps young people in difficulty to overcome their problems by working as part of a community. The association has 26 companions; all of whom currently live and work across the community’s two sites. The Tohouè companions manage a market garden, rear pigs, rabbits and cattle, and collect and recycle household waste, and are housed in community accommodation.
The Pobé site provides a home to young people aiming to reintegrate into society who are trained in the production and commercialisation of palm oil. This site has no formal accommodation attached. As a result, the companions currently live in the palm oil processing plant, in extremely basic conditions.
Thanks to the funds provided by the Abbé Pierre Foundation, the accommodation offered to the companions and seasonal workers at the Pobé factory will be improved.
The association will erect a building comprising two dormitories (three beds in each), two toilets, two showers and a multi-purpose room which will serve, among other things, as a meeting room and canteen. This work will improve the living conditions of the both site’s six permanent companions and the twenty seasonal workers who regularly assist with harvesting and maintenance in the palm grove and the factory. This new building will also have a positive impact on production.
Since 1992, the Abbé Pierre Foundation for the Housing of the Underprivileged has worked across France, continuing Abbé Pierre’s struggle to ensure access to decent housing for all. It provides accommodation and guidance to people in difficulty and calls upon policy-makers to shoulder their responsibilities regarding access to housing. Every year, the Foundation also earmarks a significant portion of its budget to the funding of international projects.
In 2015, the Abbé Pierre Foundation and Emmaus International worked together to identify and fund projects aimed at improving the accommodation offered by Emmaus associations in Africa, America, Asia and Europe.
