Attachments
PEOPLE REACHED
- Climate and environment 143,577
- Disasters and crises 15,967
- Health and wellbeing 791,497
- Migration and displacement 1,500
- Values, power and inclusion 39,417
Appeal number MAABJ002
OVERALL PROGRESS
Context
Located on the Gulf of Guinea, the Republic of Benin is a country in West Africa, bordered to the north by Niger, to the northwest by Burkina Faso, to the west by Togo, to the east by Nigeria and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres and is 700 kilometres long. It holds valuable wetlands, fisheries, as well as high tourism potential. However, these areas are affected by strong pressures. Rapid urbanization along the coast has increased demand for land, water, and other natural resources. Military infrastructure and sand extraction have also contributed to significant coastal retreat.
Like the other West African countries, it suffers the harmful effects of variability and climate change, the manifestations of which result in variability and an increased recurrence of extreme climatic events such as devastating floods, long droughts, heat waves and torrential rains. This situation leads to waves of cross-border population movements, resulting in social conflicts between breeders and farmers in several municipalities in the country.
These different situations also have consequences from a health and social point of view. In the field of health, Benin is faced with epidemics of viral hemorrhagic fever such as Lassa, malaria, cholera, meningitis, measles and yellow fever and most recently monkeypox. The health situation also highlights the unsatisfactory quality of health care, the weak development of human resources and poor planning for the acquisition, construction and maintenance of infrastructure and equipment.
The security situation has worsened with the presence of unidentified armed groups in northern Benin leading already vulnerable populations to abandon their crops and homes. Also, the presence of these unidentified armed groups in other countries in the sub-region leads to migratory movements towards Benin. Since January 2023, raids of armed groups have spread to communes bordering in Matéri, Cobly, Tanguiéta, Banikoara, Malanville, Karimama and Kerou. Attacks in the Savanes region of Togo have caused forced displacement of populations in several localities bordering this region. The successive scattered events have seen an increase in the number of internally displaced persons and refugees from Togo and Burkina in the Beninese border towns.
Key achievements
Climate and environment
In 2023, the Red Cross of Benin implemented risk reduction activities across multiple municipalities to address the impacts of climate change. The National Society trained volunteers and increased community awareness on the adverse effects of climate change. It undertook tree planting initiatives, including moringa, banana and palm trees, and distributed short-cycle corn and tomato seeds to support local communities. To enhance flood preparedness, the organization installed 16 markers in high-risk areas and updated contingency plans in targeted municipalities.
Disasters and crises
During the reporting period, the Red Cross of Benin responded to multiple crises, addressing the urgent needs of communities affected by disasters. Following the severe flooding in September 2022, the National Society took swift action to reduce flood risks by engaging the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. It provided affected communities with hygiene kits, conducted hygiene awareness sessions and distributed aqua tabs for water purification. Support for shelter construction extended across 16 municipalities. Community feedback was actively sought through focus groups to refine ongoing assistance. The Red Cross of Benin also prioritized capacity building for its staff and volunteers. Training sessions integrated First Aid, community engagement and accountability, safer access and psychosocial support services.
Health and wellbeing
For the period January to December 2023, the Red Cross of Benin partnered with UNFPA to provide health support in the Cobly-Matéri-Tanguiéta health zone, focusing on maternal health and childcare for displaced communities, 2023 IFRC network annual report Benin / 5 while extending healthcare, gender-based violence prevention, reproductive health and psychosocial support across municipalities. The National Society trained staff and communities in health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene, and raised awareness on family planning among out-of-school adolescents. It also delivered essential healthcare to those displaced by armed threats. Strengthening its partnership with the National Blood Service, the Red Cross of Benin organized a blood donation drive, managed volunteers, conducted training, launched awareness campaigns and facilitated mobile blood collections.
Migration and displacement
The Red Cross of Benin to assisted internally displaced persons and refugees from Togo and Burkina Faso at the Beninese border. The response included shelter support with relief items such as tarpaulins and toolkits, distribution of aqua tabs, hygiene and dignity kits and the construction of emergency latrines. Additionally, essential items, food kits and mental health and psychosocial support services were provided. In response to security threats in Atacora and Alibori, the National Society distributed essential items and kits to affected households across multiple communes.
Values, power, and inclusion
In 2023, the Red Cross of Benin advanced its initiatives to support the socio-professional reintegration of adolescent girls affected by early and forced marriages, assisting young girls from Cobly, Matéri and Tanguiéta. The National Society celebrated several significant milestones, including World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, its 60th anniversary and World Children’s Day to promote youth leadership. To enhance its communication, the National Society trained broadcasters to effectively convey its humanitarian work and conducted briefings on the Movement’s Fundamental Principles to improve humanitarian access. Additionally, the Red Cross of Benin launched a nationwide community feedback collection system, gathering insights through social channels and community meetings to strengthen community engagement and accountability.
Enabling Local Actors
In 2023, the Red Cross of Benin piloted a Branch Organizational Capacity Assessment (BOCA) at local units to enhance grassroots interventions and adopted a national volunteering policy to standardize volunteer actions for more effective community support. The National Society trained governance actors and volunteers on integrity, governance and volunteer management, while securing funding from IFRC’s Capacity Building Fund to implement a youth and volunteer development initiative. It established multidisciplinary training centres across branches to align volunteer capacity building with this policy. For staff development, the National Society participated in cash transfer programme training in Kinshasa and Level B public health training in Kampala. It emphasized the importance of governance through National Office and Board of Directors meetings. The Red Cross of Benin strengthened its visibility by training broadcasters to effectively communicate its humanitarian work. It conducted external audits for transparency, standardized the use of ‘PERFECTO’ software for financial management and carried out supervision missions for quality control. Additionally, it also worked on digital transformation.