Twenty-three students from Odisee College on a two-week immersion trip to Benin!

Odisee has partnered for several years with the University of Dassa for laboratory technology and the University of Parakou for nursing.

Students and accompanying teachers from Odisee and the two universities exchanged techniques and experiences for two weeks. Both nursing students from Aalst, Sint-Niklaas, and Brussels and biomedical laboratory technology students from the Ghent campus participated.

Together with some Hubi & Vinciane Foundation staff members, they organized several workshops in two elementary schools on February 8. Topics included hygiene and healthy eating. They also took time to play and color with the children. And they did not arrive empty-handed! The children were delighted with the gifts they brought them.

On February 10, 2023, they traveled with Eric Dossou Gbété, a Hubi & Vinciane Foundation nutritionist, to the village of Kassouala, near the Nigerian border. With three Beninese nurses, they tested 150 young children for malnutrition and malaria. Children with malaria were treated on site. Children with severe malnutrition were referred to one of the partner hospitals for further -treatment. They also treated about 50 children and adults with infected wounds.

On February 15, they were invited to the Hubi & Vinciane Foundation headquarters in Parakaou, where they participated in an information session on natural family planning. They then presented no less than three checks to Marcienne Houenou, the Foundation’s director in Benin. Two supporters, Florence and Léon, had collected a significant amount of money at their wedding, and two other supporters, Nancy and Helena, had collected a very nice amount in their village. Finally, all the students organized various activities and collections that raised another impressive amount. In addition, they also brought a lot of computer and medical equipment, including computers, a video projector, scales, masks, blood pressure monitors, etc.

Marcienne Houenou was very happy with this generosity. The money will be entirely dedicated to the equipment of the hospitals and medical centers with which the Foundation works.

A big thank you to the teachers and students of Odisee College!