orphanage

Association
Bana du Bénin
Aide Humanitaire au Bénin

Association régie par la loi 1901-Reconnue d'intérêt Général en mars 2006


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THE ORPHANAGE, THE CLINIC

In 1983, a few missionaries set up a religious community in the village of Péréré, to help the local people.

In 1987, some nuns from an italian community, the Sisters « ALBERTINES » from TURIN, joined them. They started to build buildings, then a clinic to treat, ofen for free, the sick people, who came in larger and larger numbers.

In 1997, they built an orphanage where they took in and brought up around 30 children. Most of them were orphans but "witch children*" could also be found there. Mothers risk death in childbirth, often because of closely spaced pregnancies, twins, home birth, hygiene problems etc...Very few women give birth in the hospital, in spite of conciousness-raising campaigns. But the maternity hospitals are sometimes far away, the means of transport can be hazardous, and customs are deep-rooted.

* « witch children » are so-called in case of a breech birth, when upper teeth come in before lower teeth.

Parents thus let the child die or they ask the enforcer to take care of him.

When they hear about such births, the nuns take them in the orphanage. They will be adopted two years later by families who don't share the same beliefs (in south Benin for example).

When a child doesn't have his mother anymore, he doesn't get any food because women refuse to breastfeed a child who is not own, thinking it might bring bad luck. The orphanage, it's the last resort where these children get fed on powdered milk until the age of 2. They will be taken back by their family, brought up by a grand mother, an aunt or the new wife of the father.

Sick adults (paludism, hepatitis, wounds etc...) and children suffering from malnutrition arrive at the clinic, sometimes coming from far away. A nurses tries to relieve them, helped by the small laboratory analysis in her diagnosis.

Labo Jonas et Jacqueline orphelins enfant malnutri prélèvement The lab

The orphans

Children suffering from malnutrition

( JONAS, the lab assistant was trained by Jacqueline GUIBERT for 2 months and a half in 2003. He is now very useful and efficient.)

Today, a pharmacy has been added to the center and each sick person goes back with the necessary treatment. In more serious cases, people are sent to the nearest hospital in NIKKI (32 km).

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