Learning Tour to Benin

FINGNIKANME DANGBO COMMUNE, BENIN: April 4, 2016 - Felicienne has been able to grow a garden near her home thanks to her village savingins and loan association. This has helped to provide her with additional income which helps her pay for healthcare expenses when she's sick. Photo by Morgana Wingard

FINGNIKANME DANGBO COMMUNE, BENIN: April 4, 2016 - Photo by Morgana Wingard

FINGNIKANME DANGBO COMMUNE, BENIN: April 4, 2016 - CARE Action Network Fellowship and Learning Tour to Benin participants meet with female rice producers who are part of CARE's Nutrition at the Center program in Benin.   In Benin, nearly half of all children less than five years of age are stunted, approximately 5% are wasted and 20% are underweight (UNICEF 2013). Recently, the Government of Benin prioritized improving nutritional status of women and children by forming a multi-sectoral, multi-lateral committee whose mandate is to improve nutrition among children and mothers. By engaging with communities, other partners and the Ministry of Health, Nutrition at the Center will build upon this commitment to improve nutritional status.   The specific programmatic goals of Nutrition at the Center are to decrease stunting in children and decrease both mother and child anemia. This integrated program approach includes elements of 4 food and nutrition security, sanitation and hygiene, and gender equality. Nutrition at the Center is currently being implemented in four countries: Benin, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Zambia.
 Photo by Morgana Wingard

FINGNIKANME DANGBO COMMUNE, BENIN: April 4, 2016 - CARE advocates watch as a village savings and loan group in Benin perform a mock meeting. Photo by Morgana Wingard

BONOU COMMUNE, BENIN: April 5, 2016 – CARE advocates visit the Tékponon Jikuagou Project (TJ) in Benin to learn how CARE is working to address unmet family planning needs through interventions implemented through women’s and men’s social networks, specifically addressing social norms and barriers which influence non-use of family planning despite access to services.
The Tékponon Jikuagou Project (TJ) in Benin, funded by USAID, is led by Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health in collaboration with CARE International and Plan International. TJ aims to address unmet need for family planning through interventions implemented through women’s and men’s social networks, specifically addressing social norms and barriers that influence non-use of family planning despite access to services. The goal is to create a social environment that enables married couples to achieve their fertility desires by fostering reflective dialogue and catalyzing discussion about social norms related to family planning, and diffusing information through formal and informal social groups, influential opinion leaders and well-connected individuals. TJ uses social network analysis to identify the most influential and connected networks in a community and to assess the influence of these networks on fertility beliefs, attitudes, desires, intentions and behaviors related to family planning. Interventions then work with key actors in social networks and the network structures themselves to promote reflection on existing social norms and attitudes that may negatively influence reproductive health and family planning. While the project addresses information needs, it also uses participatory, communication-driven techniques that encourage reflection and dialogue on issues such as communication between husband and wife regarding fertility and the stigma associated with family planning discussions and overt use of family planning.
The core components of the project’s i

In April we travelled on a Learning Tour to Benin with a delegation from CARE's Action Network Fellowship to see firsthand how investments in maternal health and family planning are reducing maternal mortality and combatting poverty.

Today we are on the verge of a tipping point in global health; with an increase in political will and financial commitments, dramatic progress toward a healthier society is within reach. This progress can be achieved as countries like Benin adopt and effectively implement policies that prioritize global health, particularly maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), through political leadership and domestic resource mobilization. At the same time, the international community has a responsibility to increase investment levels and offer long-term, predictable financial support for global health programs and integrated service delivery. Finally, the private sector must play a larger role by investing in the innovative solutions that are saving lives and strengthening workforces and economies.

On the CAN Fellowship Learning Tour to Benin, advocates visited programs in Cotonou and Oueme to see firsthand how women and their families address significant health challenges. Their journey took them directly to the community where they visited health centers and clinics, met with women’s groups and youth, and interacted with local partners to learn from those working toward solutions at the local level. They also met with leaders and fellow advocates who implement and drive these solutions on the national stage.

Client: CARE
Location: Benin
Services: Photography

Morgana Wingard, PhotographyMorgana WingardMay 2, 2016Benin, Africa, CARE