Action WOA Bénin 2018

Our action consists of the construction of a 200-square-meter building equipped with a solar roof, which would supply electricity for the school.

WOA is an international solidarity organization that has been active since 2002, with a local branch in Benin from 2006 that has been enacting projects in favor of women and children. WOA Benin has previously renovated the infirmary and the library of the school in Pahou, and it also annually sponsors all the young women in the scientific field. The 2018 WOA Benin action dedicates itself in the continuation of such support for the school’s development.

We noticed that there were not enough classrooms inside the CEG, making some pupils take classes outside the classroom under challenging circumstances. Furthermore, classrooms are not lit and there are no computers available due to hardly any stable power supply. Moreover, a great many women in the region have no access to education, leaving them no option but to work during the day.

We decided to counter the 3 issues with the creation of additional rooms, including a computer room in the building with a solar panel that will allow light to travel in several classrooms. This will make it possible to provide evening classes for women and children who are faced with challenging situations.

The purpose of this project is to support women’s education, which is one of the challenges that the association/organization set as a mission to accomplish. Providing electricity will help the development of the CEG and will as well enhance the teaching and learning environment thanks to the equipment such as lighting and computers. The surplus energy generated will be made available to the locals to promote income-generating activities.

WOA’s goal, with its continuous partnership with the CEG, is to develop a professional maintenance sector in partnership with the vocational school Mermoz of Montsoult, a French school that specializes in maintenance-keeping. This partnership will then serve as the foundation of an exchange relationship between the Beninese and the French, having the maintenance of the photovoltaic solar power plant as a practical case.

The study on technical feasibility was carried out by the engineering students of the French engineering school Arts et Métiers, in Paris, which has been collaborating with WOA since 2015. “Last but not the least, EDF foundation, a long-standing partner of the association, has decided to sponsor us once again by covering most of the expenses necessary to build the photovoltaic roof.