In February 2024, the Benin team underwent training in “team dynamics.” Staff spent three days away from the office and daily activities in Grand Popo, in the south of Benin.
Ingrid Hofkens, a member of our Foundation’s Board of Directors and no stranger to training the Beninese team, also took charge of the three-day event. She taught the Beninese colleagues how to achieve specific objectives as a group through a combination of theoretical frameworks and practical applications. The team learned to strengthen cohesion and establish and maintain valuable contacts with colleagues and partners.
Dini, Administrative and Financial Manager looks back on the experience: “Thanks to practical exercises, I learned to optimize my listening skills, to be more tolerant and to contribute to team cohesion. It was my first outside training course. The environment was both beautiful and new to me. I’d never been to this region before and never sailed on the Mono River.”
Fadiatou, in charge of monitoring and evaluation, adds: “This training has taught me to accept and appreciate feedback and criticism. After all, it’s on this basis that we can adjust and correct ourselves. I liked the environment. I’d never seen the King’s Mouth before. “
Associate Director Pascale Van Assche also got our team moving, literally and figuratively. After our Benin team gave their all in a veritable balancing act, Pascale illustrated the various phases and processes of group activation.
Anita Beysen, a member of OVO and very curious about the workings of our Foundation, encouraged our team from Benin to come up with concrete proposals for increasing the visibility of our Foundation. “As trainers, we were very pleased to see how the Benin team developed throughout these missions,” says Ingrid.
Like Dini and Fadiatou, the other team members were enthusiastic about the training they received. Spending these days together boosted the team’s dynamics and motivation.
Many thanks to Ingrid, Pascale, and Anita for this fascinating course!