The Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) has received funding from the Embassy of the United States of America in Benin.
Thanks to this project, 600 young Beninese have benefited in the twelve (12) departments of Benin. The project’s activities have helped Benin’s youth to understand the role that citizens can play in interacting with institutions, whether at central or local level.
The project served as a platform for improving understanding of democratic participation, civic engagement, non-violent communication and social advocacy for inclusion in Benin. The project targeted CSOs, including youth organizations, women’s rights organizations and movements.
The project was implemented through a consortium comprising the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD), Social Watch Benin, Women EdTech, US- Benin Women Alumni Association (USBWAA), and the Centre d’Etudes Sociologiques et de Science Politique (CESPo).
The activities of each organization were made possible thanks to the technical and financial support of the Embassy of the United States of America in Benin.
TESTIMONIALS FROM SOME OF OUR BENEFICIARIES
TESTIMONIALS FROM SOME BENEFICIARIES
Augustine ACAKPO: These workshops enabled me personally to understand how citizens should interact with our political institutions. In other words, our role as citizens vis-à-vis our institutions and the powers that be. This workshop, funded by the U.S. Embassy, also taught me that the citizen must be a player in democracy. With all that we’ve learned, with all that I’ve received today, I’ve already thought about what I can do, i.e. reach out to others who have no idea how our institutions work, make a restitution, reach out to them too to share opinions, share our knowledge with our brothers and sisters who have no idea how our institutions work. It’s the citizen who must really equip himself to understand how things should work, so that together with the institutions, we can really win.
★★★★★
Stanislas OUSSOUKPEVI: I’m a leader in my commune of Abomey-Calavi. Given my constant contact with many young people, this training course will enable me to share my experience of the notions of the common good and the public good, so that our generation can make a real difference in its time. I’d like to thank all the organizers and the organizing consortium who have done such a fine job for us today. Thank you to the Embassy of the United States.
Amzath AROUNA: At the end of this activity, we realized that we were really ignorant, there are many things about our rights, the opportunities we have to accompany the State in its function, in its exercise but which we did not know but thanks to this workshop, we became aware of the role of the citizen, the role of what we must do as young people to accompany the State in its function. Many thanks to the Embassy of the United States.
Yannick DEDEKOTON: I believe that all the communication we received during this training could change things in the sense that this training really covered all aspects of the constitutional court, we came back to the constitution which is really the bible at the level of our State, we came back to the judiciary, we came back to municipal issues, we came back to the republican police. All aspects were taken into account, and at the end of this training, we came away from this place with the skills to put forward and which will also enable other young people who haven’t had the chance to be here, to be able to have the restitution of all the knowledge acquired. This training has enabled me to come back to fundamental elements, to tell us that at the level of our communes, at the level of everything that is a question of parliament, we can make petitions, we can ask for accountability, which is a citizen’s right. Thank you to RFLD and the US Embassy.
Marie-José NATABOU: I’m not going to keep everything I’ve learned from this training to myself. I’m going to share everything I’ve learned here with the women in my association, so that they too can share the information in their respective environments. I think what’s really holding us back is the fact that we don’t have the information. I’d really like to thank the whole team who organized this workshop. I feel very honored to have been selected to benefit from the ADEMO II democracy workshops. Thank you to the Embassy of the United States of America.
Dénis AHISSOU: As young people, we have been equipped with methods for interacting with the institutions of the republic. The young people trained have the ability to pass on what they have learned during the three days of training, and to defend themselves in any situation. We plan to visit communities at grassroots level, to raise awareness and provide all citizens with the information they need to know their rights. Our thanks go to the Embassy of the United States of America in Benin, to the Network of Women Leaders for Development, and to the entire organizing team and trainers, who gave their all to ensure that the young people were equipped to interact with state institutions.
