Maintaining Benin as the Latin Quarter of Africa is the goal of the Hubi & Vinciane Foundation through a donation of books. The Latin Quarter has been home to many famous writers and is still very popular with students today.
On 31 October 2018, the donation of a large batch of books to four colleges in Kassouala and Papanè in the commune of Tchaourou and Komiguéa and Boko in the commune of N’Dali, wants to draw inspiration from this Parisian tradition by giving the opportunity to all apprentice readers in Benin, especially girls, to read books.
Official handover of books to the EMC and of the books handed over
Indeed, one of the great evils from which education in Benin suffers today is the lack of books in libraries, which makes studies difficult and increasingly increases the rate of failures and dropouts at the secondary level. This is all the more important for girls, who account for only one in eight students. Despite the State’s desire to make education easy and even free of charge, the means are an obstacle to success. By donating books to the programme in the first cycle, the Foundation has just cured these schools of a long-standing problem.
Authority and assistance
The official handing over of the books, which took place during a ceremony and in the presence of local authorities, such as the prefect, the mayor of N’Dali, the former deputy of the department of Bourgou and the director of the department of education, hundreds of students, teachers and parents and the national television TV ORTB, testifies to the importance of this action. The prefect, after making a brief assessment of the Foundation’s actions in Benin, thanked it not only for today’s gesture but for all its actions which are in line with the vision of the Beninese government.
Traditional dance
He then encouraged the Foundation not to stop there. The Executive Director accompanied by the Administrator and a large delegation also took part in this colourful ceremony. The beneficiaries also thanked the Foundation for all it does in education in general and girls’ education in particular. There is a local saying that says “When we thank you for a gesture it is to make other requests”; All the beneficiary colleges did not fail in this tradition and even the authorities who want to see other colleges impacted also expressed their interest.
A word of thanks from the beneficiaries
The prefect concludes by saying: “Long live the Hubi and Vinciane Foundation, long live the education of girls ambassadors of nutrition, long live a better Benin for 0% of malnourished children.”
Antoinette Chabi