Established by the Dahomey’s Episcopate in 1958, Dahomey’s Catholic Help became Caritas Benin in 1975. Caritas Benin is a network of Catholic Christians and people of good will, composed of a National Directorate which is the coordinating and umbrella body of all the diocesan Caritas of Benin (Porto-Novo, Cotonou, Abomey, Lokossa, Dassa-Zoumé, Parakou, N’Dali, Kandi, Djougou, Natitingou).
Its mission is to “bear witness to the Love of God” (Acts 1, 8) through service, support and defence of the poor without distinction of race, religion, socio-political affiliation, etc.
To implement this mission, Caritas Benin intervenes in several areas, namely: basic social services (health, education, child protection, assistance to the elderly, assistance to people with disabilities, assistance to the destitute, provision of drinking water, etc.); ordinary emergencies (assistance to the destitute, assistance to people in situations of great precariousness); major emergencies (disasters such as floods, fires, bad weather, transhumance, social cohesion: prevention, response to violent extremist conflicts and safeguarding peace); development (agriculture/security/food/agroecological transition, environmental protection, village water supply, women’s empowerment, renewable energy, etc.); advocacy that brings together peace-building actions, conflict prevention before, during and after elections, social cohesion, social, economic and ecological justice, and finally citizen control of public action.
To better serve vulnerable groups and become more competitive, Caritas Benin has committed to developing and strengthening its strategic capacities. Thus, Caritas Benin was one of the first Caritas in Africa to embark on the process of Personalised Support/Organisational Development (A2P/DIRO). A year later, a framework agreement was signed with the Beninese Government.
In 2014, Caritas Benin was recognised as a public utility organisation. Thanks to its network made up of 10 dioceses, more than 500 parishes and at least 3,000 volunteers, Caritas Benin has multidisciplinary and operational teams in the 77 communes of Benin. Its actors are immersed in the populations of the most remote regions of the country and are informed in real time of the challenges they face. They can thus propose solutions that are in line with the realities on the ground.
Caritas Benin works with both grassroots communities, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and decentralised structures of the State. It also has International Organisations and Institutions as partners.