Support for the development of a multifunctional sustainability centre in Bohicon, Benin

Bohicon is one of the ten largest cities in Benin. Located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the country is home to eleven million people. The region is underdeveloped and extremely poor, and the fact that half the population is under fifteen is a major problem. Local people face ongoing problems with water supply and waste disposal. IMRO Foundation's project "Establishment of a Multifunctional Sustainability Centre in Bohicon" was funded by the HHP in 2021, thanks to which a joint project was launched in the town of Bohicon in South Benin in close collaboration with our Belgian and Beninese partners. The project includes the following development elements: the purchase of equipment (grinders and presses) for the recycling of plastic waste to produce "plastic" bricks. This project supported the municipal nursery school (École Maternelle 2) in the centre of Bohicon and to the development of the environmental project that has been started. Two of the nursery's three buildings were damaged by frequent storms and heavy rains, so the children were taught, fed and put to bed in the courtyard and in the remaining unit as needed. This creates a critical situation in the care of children, even under African conditions, which makes it impossible to provide quality time and work in kindergartens. Supporting the development of a multifunctional sustainability centre in Bohicon by establishing an environmental education centre, a plastic waste recycling point and a drinking water collection system. The IMRO Foundation, with the support of the Municipality of Zoersel, Belgium, has established a development cooperation and structured professional dialogue with the Municipality of Bohicon, a city of nearly 160,000 inhabitants in South Benin, its waste and water treatment company, and the city's leading youth non-governmental organisation for environmental education, to strengthen Bohicon's environmental sustainability. By supporting this project, it aims to continue a significant humanitarian cooperation already underway, with a focus on sustainability, which could have a significant impact on the living conditions and future prospects of the region, particularly in terms of the proper management of some 20 million tonnes of waste per month and the provision of drinking water.