BeninIn BENIN Batonga is:Granting scholarships: Batonga is supporting 229 girls in continuing their education into secondary school. All of the girls were selected by community members who are closely involved in ensuring their success. All of the girls are disadvantaged in some way: they include those orphaned by AIDS, those who are disabled, or those who come from very poor families. Nevertheless, they have taken on these personal challenges with enormous spirit, tenacity, and dedication to their education. Batonga is supporting these students from grade 7 through grade 12 with scholarship packages that include tuition, uniforms, school supplies, mentoring, and community awareness activities that broadly promote girls’ education. NGO Partner: World Education In-country NGO partners: Association pour la Protection de l’Enfance Malheureuse (APEM) and Groupe d’Action pour la Justice et l’Égalité Sociale (GAJES) BackgroundBenin is an ancient civilization located on the western coast of Africa with some 75 miles of coastline and a reputation for the most hospitable people in Africa. Historically, residents in the area established the biggest slave trade in West Africa and were members of a powerful kingdom. An indigenous ethnic voodoo religion that is still practiced in Benin attracts large numbers of Africans and tourists to witness its rites and rituals. Benin has had the third-highest number of coups in Africa and was the only country in West Africa to wholeheartedly adopt Marxism. Nowadays, it is considered as a leader in democracy in the region. While it has many problems such as bad infrastructure, poor water and health conditions and institutionalized corruption, Benin is wealthier, more peaceful, and economically stronger than most of its neighbors. According to the United Nations, however, Benin is still one of the world’s least developed nations. The economy is based on agriculture, and it is supported by some light industry, handicraft production, and transit trade to neighboring countries. With a population of over 9 million people and a high birth rate, Benin has made recent strides in providing primary education to its young people. Today more than 56 percent of young men age 15 and over can read and write, and 29 percent of women age 15 and over can read and write. In 2006 a Benin government initiative called “ALL Girls to School” was launched as part of a ten-year plan of action for the education sector. It aims for parity between boys and girls in primary school by 2016. From a pan-African perspective, gender disparities against girls are highest in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali and Togo—all with only half as many girls as boys making the transition from primary to secondary school (based on the UNESCO Institute for Statistics). Part of the Benin government’s efforts to increase girl’s enrollment in primary school was the elimination of school fees for girls in rural areas. To get girls into secondary school, however, requires extra effort. Batonga hopes to help make this transition from primary to secondary easier for both girls, and their families.
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Country Profile Country StatisticsPopulation: 9.3 million Average income: US $750 HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 1.2% Female adult literacy rate: 29.1% Children in primary school: girls 62% | boys 72% Children in secondary school: girls 27% | boys 40% Education expenditure: 3.5% of GDP School life expectancy (primary to tertiary) male: 11 years/ female: 8 years Orphans: 310,000 UN Human Development Index: 134 out of 169 Population: 9.3 million source: CIA World Factbook date of data: July 2011 estimate. Average income: US $750 source: World Bank date of data: 2009 definition: Gross national income (GNI) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad. GNI per capita is gross national income divided by mid-year population. GNI per capita in US dollars is converted using the World Bank Atlas method. HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 1.2% source: CIA World Factbook date of data: 2009 estimate definition: Percentage of adults (15-49 years) living with HIV/AIDS as of end 2008 Female adult literacy rate: 29.2% source: CIA World Factbook date of data: 2009 estimate definition: Percentage of women over 15 years old that can read and write. Children in primary school: girls 62% | boys 72% source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). date of data: 2009 definition: Net Primary School Attendance – percentage of children in the age group that officially corresponds to primary schooling who attend primary school. These data come from national household surveys. Children in secondary school: girls 27% | boys 40% source: UNESCO date of data: 2009 definition: Percentage of children in the age group that officially corresponds to secondary schooling who attend secondary school. These data come from national household surveys. Education expenditure: 3.5% of GDP source: CIA World Factbook date of data: 2007 definition: Public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP. School life expectancy (primary to tertiary) male: 11 years| female: 8 years source: CIA World Factbook date of data: 2005 definition: Number of years children in Benin stay in school. Orphans: 310,000 source: UNICEF date of data: 2009 estimate definition: Children up to 17 years of age orphaned due to all causes UN Human Development Index: 134 out of 169 source: Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme date of data: Used for report issued 2010. definition: The Human Development Index (HDI), published as part of the annual Human Development Report by UNDP, is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing, or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. 169 countries were ranked, with 1 being the best and 169 being the worst.
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