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| Map of SOS in Benin |
November 4, 2010: Hundreds of thousands of people in West Africa are struggling with floods brought on by unusually heavy seasonal rains. The death toll is 400, with some 1.5 million people displaced, according to United Nations Radio.
The nation of Benin, wedged between Togo and Nigeria, has been especially hard hit, with 680,000 of its 9 million people reportedly affected. The torrential downpours, more than twice the normal amount this time of year, have caused a level of flooding that far exceeds what the population is used to.
SOS Children’s Villages has had a presence in Benin for 23 years. The organization will launch an emergency relief program there to support 500 children and families affected by the floods. SOS efforts will focus on flood victims in the town of Bonou, in southeastern Benin. In this area crops were destroyed, houses damaged, and livestock decimated.
SOS will provide basic necessities such as food, drinking water, mosquito nets, blankets, tents, and medical supplies.
Fortunately, all three of SOS Children's Villages in Benin -- in Abomey-Calavi, Dassa-Zoumé, and Natitingou -- are safe from the flooding.
Fear of Water-borne Illnesses
According to local SOS staff, an alarming number of cholera infections have been recorded, and sanitation has become a preeminent concern. Thousands of displaced people have taken shelter in public buildings, while access to clean water is restricted or non-existent. The floods have led to contamination of water used for drinking and cooking. Health officials say that an outbreak of water-borne diseases, to which children are especially vulnerable, is likely.
Francois Bellet, a UNICEF water and sanitation expert, told United Nations Radio, “Our main concern is that people go back to their destroyed villages and start using the damaged wells which are contaminated. There's a high risk of child mortality and of an epidemic.”
Many clinics across the country have been inundated and therefore are unable to function, according to the IRIN news service. This situation limits the care available to help people suffering from diarrhea and water-related infections.
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| Girl at the SOS Children's Village in Natitingou, Benin |
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SOS Is a Point of Refuge in Benin
Benin is a poor country with low literacy rates. According to UNICEF statistics, 47 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. The literacy rate for male youths age 15 to 24 is 63 percent; for female youths it is 42 percent.
SOS-Benin raises children without parental care and works hard to protect their rights and insert them into local society. Besides orphaned and abandoned children, SOS also takes in children who are victims of social exclusions based on traditional beliefs. The SOS kindergartens, schools, clinics, and counseling centers that serve SOS children are also open to local community children and families. SOS’s primary schools are considered models in Benin, and the SOS Arts and Crafts Secondary School in Abomey-Calavi, near the city of Cotonou, offers the country’s only art training.
A little bit goes such a long way for a child who has lost everything. Sponsor an SOS boy or girl in Benin or donate today to support SOS Children's Villages around the world.
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