On November 15 at 7:30 PM at the Hippodrome of Cagnes-sur-Mer, a charity evening will be organized for the Sustainable Education of Children in Benin. Five birthday candles as we love to light! The kind that shine in the eyes of BEA’s children!
A meticulous work but one that lasts!
And that is the essence, if not the very essence, of the association’s cause in France and Benin: to mobilize for education, the schooling of young people, and the lasting autonomy it provides. Holding firm in the face of daily challenges, despite global crises, and despite the good and bad reasons to stop in the face of a complex situation.
Because being educated in Benin means arming oneself “as a citizen” to resist poverty, the vicious cycle of material and intellectual deprivation.
Paul Darmon’s message, president of BEA France: “And before inviting you once again to our event on November 15, we wish to salute the spirit of solidarity and commitment, for some from the very beginning, on this long road, this path to the future and a sustainable project for young generations!”
The quick assessment of these five years is particularly valued by the choice of children the association supports, primarily the most deprived, in the territory of Djakoté, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Comé, Southern Benin.
At the heart of the action is the primary and secondary schooling of 63 orphaned children who have been taken off the streets and away from early labor and are succeeding! Summer courses to improve chances of advancing to the next class for 350 children each year, a remarkable initiative covered by the press throughout the country!
Finally, a Christmas tree and gifts for 250 children to unite families and mobilize the entire community to continue the movement’s momentum. In five years, BEA has gathered nearly €50,000 in just three annual evenings thanks to its members, and it’s time to thank each of them as well as each of our unwavering and involved partners in this collective solidarity from the start.
The place of honor for this evening goes to a special guest who is at the heart of the project, Euric Guidi, president of BEA Benin. He has insisted on being with us to show his friendship and encourage us for the future. A man on the ground, invested with a desire for change, in his country but also for equality of opportunity wherever it may be. He will communicate his vision of the work accomplished, his humanity, and will answer questions to better understand the reality experienced by the children.
The student youth will also be well-represented and at the center of the event thanks to the donation of around twenty paintings on Africa and childhood, created by students from the Graphic Design and Art School Condé and supported by its director Béatrice Mattana, benefiting BEA fully at the evening’s auction.
The project now also brings together the AIPM (Action of Priority Worldwide Interest), with the Rotary’s involvement, and the construction of a new school planned for 2012 in Djakoté.
