Welcome to the Beninese Volunteer Corps!

CVB Information Board at the Fête de Ganni 2011

  It doesn't always suffice to just be a generous people. The people of Benin will fall over themselves to share their food, their culture, their opinions; they are some of the most generous individuals I've ever encountered. They're always prepared to support the incapacitated, the young, and the elderly by sharing a small piece of what little they have stowed away. And they are always grateful.
          But these acts of charity will usually only directly benefit an individual or a family, and they'll only effect the community at large insomuch as one of its members will function better within the society. Beninese manifestations of charity don't usually extend to large-scale projects or donations, as we often see in the West. But there's a movement - still embryonic, but growing - to promote volunteerism here in Benin, and its momentum isn't coming from expats.
         On July 27th, 2007, the Corps des Volontaires Beninois (Beninese Volunteer Corps, or CVB) was founded in Parakou, Benin, with the intention of promoting volunteerism among motivated youth. Since then, it has attracted more than 20 Beninese students to celebrate "service to one's country" and to enact projects such as the following:

• Promotion of technological literacy among university students and interested community members
• Community outreach to teach both urban and rural dwellers about steps to preventing HIV/AIDS, typhoid, cholera, and malaria
• Reforestation initiatives
• Support of orphans and "silenced populations" through games, activities, and gifts
• The promotion and conservation of Benin's patrimony through education, music, and museum exhibits

      This is just a brief introduction to their activities. They are constantly looking for new partnerships in order to expand their network and engender new volunteering opportunities. Through initiatives such as CVB, we hope to develop a society in which the youth will consider volunteering to be a valuable pastime.

Sincerely,
Dave Cowell

CVB Bureau in Parakou, Benin