What is different about Friends of Bonou?

• We believe that the education of girls is the best hope for fighting global poverty and a sure and tested way of contributing to the development of the country
• All the funds we have ever raised went directly to our projects: we have virtually no administration costs as we are all volunteers.
• We work in Bénin which, in spite of serious problems of poverty and under-development, has a fully fledged, functioning democratic government with solid institutions, a model in Africa with no war, no devastating famine and no ethnic tensions.
• Local people told us what they needed, not the other way around: we work directly with the villagers, through a 'follow-up' team of volunteers. From the start of the joint work, there has been an emphasis on consultation and joint planning through regular participative workshops between us and our partners.
• We maintain friendly personal contacts with the village, the Sonagnon Centre staff and the Management Committee through regular self-financed visits. We also receive monthly reports from the Centre.