COUNTRY / PROBLEM
Benin is a country in Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea, which gained independence from France in 1960 and is inhabited by 11 million people. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, where, according to 2018 statistics, more than 60% of people over the age of 15 cannot read or write, and 45% of children under the age of five are undernourished.
In Benin, poverty and low levels of education are intertwined with superstitions, which include a strong belief in witchcraft. The Bariba people, one of the ethnic groups living in Benin, believe that the disease or death of another person results from the use of witchcraft, and even a newborn baby can be a witch.
Although, as of 2010, children in Benin can no longer be legally accused of witchcraft, the Bariba people believe that premature birth, breech birth, birth with the child’s arm extended forward, or absence of the child’s first scream are signs suggesting the birth of a witch. These are, in fact, a sentence for such a child, which as a result may be banished from the local community or murdered. Older children may be accused of witchcraft, too – the first teeth growing from above, bad eyesight, or protruding ears are often enough to expel a child from the community.
ORGANISATION
SOS Children’s Villages is a global federation established in 1949, which aims to ensure that children grow up in a nurturing family environment. SOS Children’s Villages is working to protect and care for children who have lost parental care, or who stand at risk of losing it. As for 2018, SOS Children’s Villages were operating in 135 countries around the world. SOS Villages d'Enfants Benin began its work in 1985, and is supporting vulnerable children, young people and families, including children who have been banished from their local communities as a result of witchcraft accusations. There, they are given shelter, food, access to education, and the opportunity to return to life in the society.
PROJECTS
Kulczyk Foundation supported SOS Villages d'Enfants Benin by donating funds for:
- purchase of food for child beneficiaries and their SOS Mothers for a period of 12 months,
- construction and equipment of houses for the beneficiaries of the organisation,
- carrying out a social campaign aimed at drawing the attention of the local community to the problem of witchcraft accusations and their consequences.
