The number of young people reached with Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) through our support has been measured. The result in 2019 fell short of the target.

The number of youths that were directly reached with CSE fell short of the target. The programme is behind schedule because the embassy’s NGO partners working on SRHR in Benin had to limit their activities, citing administrative and financial reasons. Falling behind schedule was also influenced by underreporting. Young people who have been reached with CSE through other initiatives than those directly supported by the Netherlands have not been included in the results. The large number of youths who have been reached with CSE messages and programmes on social media have also not been included. However, the dedication of the Ministry of Secondary Education has ensured the availability of CSE to Benin’s youth and impressive results have been booked in bringing down pregnancies amongst schoolgirls.

These results were recorded by NGOs working on SRHR, financed by the Netherlands.

Reported results have fallen behind schedule because of numerous reasons: programme implementation was interrupted for several months due to administrative/financial challenges in the consortium that promotes SRHR in Benin; access to modern contraceptives was limited due to the geographical location and financial situation of the couples concerned; and ignorance of the (financial) consequences of failing to use modern contraceptives is widespread. Marital inequality also often poses a barrier for women who wish to use modern contraception against the will of their husbands.

Many people in Benin still do not have access to safely managed drinking water services. The Netherlands supported the Government of Benin in extending public services, allowing people in rural and urban communities to access drinking water services.

One of the main objectives of the water programme is to increase access to safe drinking water. For the period 2016 to 2021, the Dutch water programme aims to contribute to increased access to drinking water for more than 750,000 people. The programme is currently behind schedule because of the new government’s reforms and the creation of new implementing agencies.

The main implementing organisations are the national urban water provider and the national rural water supply agency. The Netherlands supports the professionalisation of these organisations, thereby increasing the sustainability of the water supply services. The professionalisation of services also creates employment opportunities for highly qualified young people.

In Benin, more than 75% of people in rural areas do not have access to safely managed sanitation or basic hygiene facilities. The Netherlands supports the Government of Benin and municipalities in hygiene promotion campaigns and extending sanitation services in rural and urban communities.

Improving access to hygiene and sanitation services, such as hand-washing stations with soap and latrines, is an important objective of the water programme. The Netherlands-funded water programme aims to reach one million people between 2016 and 2021. The programme is behind schedule on this objective, due to government restrictions on the recruitment of municipal employees.

The municipalities are eager to improve sanitation services and hygiene facilities. The Netherlands supports 25 rural municipalities in implementing hygiene promotional campaigns. These are mainly community-led sanitation campaigns in rural communities. The Netherlands also supports the urban municipality of Parakou in improving sanitation services. These services include public latrines and latrine sludge treatments.

Clean water in lakes, rivers and marshes is a prerequisite for the survival of plants, animals and our ecosystems. The main economic centre of Benin is located in an important wetland area. This area provides water, food and other ecosystem services to about 30% of Benin’s population. Improving knowledge and expertise on integrated water management increases the sustainability of these services for future generations.

Improving the management of river basins and the safety of deltas is an important objective of the Dutch-funded water programme. This programme aims to reach 600,000 people between 2016 and 2021 by means of improved basin management. The programme is behind schedule, however, due to government reforms of basin management organisations.

The Netherlands supports the National Water Institute in strengthening national expertise and knowledge of water systems and contributes to local community initiatives to improve water management. The Netherlands also contributes to Benin’s efforts to structure river basin management organisations and legislation.

Small-scale producers increased their income and business by means of improved inputs, innovation, training and market access. Producers in the ACMA II project received training on cultivation and post-harvest techniques, entrepreneurship, management and marketing. Young entrepreneurs participating in the BeniBiz project strengthened their capacity to increase revenue, and producers in the Jatropha II project were supported in effective seed production and food crop methods.

Producers, processors and traders involved in the ACMA II project increased their revenues through a collective marketing system and by taking an integrated approach to monitoring the market for targeted agricultural products. In addition, production and processing costs were reduced and productivity in targeted agricultural value chains was improved through technical innovation. The project established partnerships with local NGOs that are well embedded in the communities.

The BeniBiz project, which aimed to strengthen the capacity of young entrepreneurs to increase their turnover, achieved results above expectations. Young entrepreneurs experienced an average turnover growth rate of more than 80%. Female participants experienced an even higher turnover growth rate.

The ACMA II and Jatropha II projects opened up access to quality inputs and new production techniques for smallholders and family farmers. These groups also benefited from collective marketing systems. The ACMA II project covers seven value chains, organised in clusters: corn, cassava, palm oil, peppers, fish, soybeans and peanuts. The Jatropha II project supported producers of seeds in using effective methods of seed production and in producing food crops with good yields.

The ACMA II project developed a strategy for each of the seven agricultural business clusters. The beneficiaries within each value chain are structured into co-operatives and the project’s partners are NGOs that are well embedded in the communities. Producers and processors within each cluster receive a range of training, including: cultivation techniques, post-harvest technologies, agricultural entrepreneurship, management, marketing, sales and revenue.

The Jatropha II project supported producers of jatropha seeds in implementing effective methods of seed production and producing food crops with good yields. The seeds are subsequently used to produce oil, which is often used in soap production.

The Local Land Management Support Project, which was completed by the end of 2018, allowed 28,150 people to exercise (more) secure tenure rights to land. After its completion, the project was followed up by a project supporting the national cadastre. This new project effectively contributes to the legal certainty of land ownership for an ever-growing number of people and secures investments in agricultural land.

While Benin’s economy is largely agricultural and the available land is arable and productive, estimates of food insecurity range from 10% to about 34% of the population. Approximately 32% to 45% of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition. One of the objectives of the Netherlands’ food security programme is to contribute to the elimination of malnutrition. Through three projects, women, children and others have gained access to balanced, healthy and nutritious diets.

A series of three projects has improved the food security of more than 75,000 people and directly impacted the food security of 16,500 people.

The BeniBiz project enabled female nutrition sales agents to directly facilitate the distribution of healthy food products, while simultaneously providing nutritional education. Other projects indirectly contributed to the improvement of food security. The ACMA II project fostered the production of soybeans, for instance, and the Jatropha II project raised the income of its beneficiaries, part of which could then be used for diet improvement.

The figure of 75,700 people does not yet include the results of the school feeding project, implemented through the World Food Programme (WFP) in close collaboration with the Government of Benin. This programme is expected to contribute to improved access to adequate nutrition for 60,000 children and to secure an income for approximately 1,000 smallholders. By linking local producers to schools, the project also aims to create a sustainable relationship between the two.