Partnerships with GRES, Terres Rouges and ESAS in Benin

Since 2022, Dynamo International has been collaborating with the Group of Specialized Educators in Benin (GRES-Benin) and the Civil Society House. Together, these partners develop programs for support and resilience building for children and young people in street situations in the Atlantic department (Ouidah, Allada, Abomey-Calavi) and in Cotonou.

The Group of Specialized Educators of Benin, a member of DISWN, is a collective of social street workers. It works for the promotion and recognition of social street work as an essential lever for protection and inclusion of children and young people in situations of great vulnerability. The organization is committed to strengthening the capacities of field actors, developing educational approaches adapted to local realities, and promoting sustainable solutions for family, educational or professional reintegration. GRES-Benin acts daily to create bridges between marginalized youth, their communities and institutions, while actively contributing to the development of public policies that respect children’s rights.

The Terres Rouges Benin association has been working for over 15 years with children and young people in street situations by developing support and psychosocial care provided by a team of committed and trained social street workers. In Cotonou, particularly at the Dantokpa market, its action combines regular outreach and adapted reception facilities: night dormitories for adolescents, residential center for children under 12, and community house for young people in apprenticeship. The association also develops a prevention project in So-Ava, focused on keeping children in their communities through innovative community approaches.

The Higher School of Social Workers (ESAS), under the supervision of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi, is the only national institution training social workers in Benin. Since 1975, it has contributed to social protection by training social action professionals. It now develops a certified training offer in social street work, promoting better recognition of the social street worker profession.

This program aims to improve the lives of young people in street situations by strengthening their resilience, their socio-economic autonomy and their access to adequate nutrition. In Benin, many children living on the street do not have access to basic social services. Thanks to this program, supported by Belgian cooperation, several concrete actions are implemented:

• Street social support for children, ensured by regular interventions in neighborhoods, villages and markets, carried out by social street workers and community mothers;
• Establishment of reception spaces and educational and professional activities;
• Support for family reintegration and return to community life;
• Organization of advocacy actions bringing together institutional actors and civil society organizations;
• Training of law enforcement on the protection of children in street situations and the application of the Children’s Code.

This program, which runs from 2022 to 2026, also contributes to strengthening existing child protection systems and promoting better coordination between field actors.

This program is part of the Permanent Joint Commission framework between the Republic of Benin and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, with the objective of improving prevention, protection and socio-professional integration systems for children and young people in vulnerable situations. It aims to strengthen local support structures, improve the quality of care and promote the sustainable integration of these young people into society.

• Improvement of professional practices in supporting children and young people in vulnerable situations, through experience sharing and continuing education;
• Capacity building of local structures involved in social risk prevention and youth integration;
• Organization of consultation and dialogue sessions between public institutions, social actors and communities, to collectively identify priorities and develop responses adapted to local realities;
• Support for networking among child protection sector stakeholders.

This project, launched in 2024, will extend until 2028 and articulates with national policies in favor of youth and social protection, while integrating an exchange dimension between Beninese and Belgian actors.

Project Partners:

Belgium:

• Dynamo International
• La Chaloupe
• La Pommeraie

Benin:

• GRES Benin
• Terres Rouges Benin
• The Higher School of Social Workers (ESAS) of the University of Abomey-Calavi
• Carrefour Jeunesse Afrique (CJA)
• RONE-RBC Benin