V.A.I.D.

I've been in Benin for one week now, and at this point I'm in training to work with V.A.I.D., the local NGO I've been assigned to help. V.A.I.D stands for “Volontaires d’Actions Intégrées pour le Développement”, meaning they help implement development projects. Their goal is to improve the lives of the most marginalized in society and to contribute to sustainable development through assisting the local communities in creating, maintaining, and improving their own projects. They focus mainly on: community health, providing support for community projects in the nearby villages, defending the rights of women and children, and working with the youth through cultural activities.

My homework over the weekend was to read the ever captivating “Introduction to Strategic Planning” in French. Yesterday and today my assignment has been to read other similar documents, also in French, such as “Self-diagnostics for Civil Society Organizations of Benin” and “The Policies and Procedures of V.A.I.D”. While this hasn't been very glamorous and I'm getting very tired of reading training manuals, it's been a necessary step for familiarizing myself with the work that VAID does, and their approach to their projects. And it's been expanding my French vocabulary, which is never a bad thing.

Reckya, the secretary

Inside the office

The view out the office window onto the common area. Our one room office is part of a mini compound shared with about five similar buildings, all of which are houses.