Volunteering and Gaining Skills in Benin
Smiling, Fatimatou Ousmane works busily behind pots in an open-air kitchen at the canteen of Gourou Public Primary School in northern Benin. About 50 yards away, children can be heard reciting their lessons in class.
Fatimatou and other volunteer cooks are responsible for serving students a mid-day meal prepared at the Gourou Public Primary School canteen in northern Benin.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
As part of a project supported by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program and implemented by Catholic Relief Services, the canteen provides healthy free lunches each day and is essential for the nutrition and quality of the students’ diet. It also plays a crucial role in keeping children in school.
Before joining the school canteen, Fatimatou was a trained dressmaker and dreamed of opening her own workshop, selling to clients and making clothes for herself and her family.
However, she lacked the funds needed to buy the equipment and set up her own workshop. Instead, like many girls in her community, she was forced into marriage at young age and soon was concentrating solely on caring for her son and running the household.
Then, when several of the canteen's cooks resigned, Fatimatou was asked to join the team. Although she had never considered working in a canteen, she accepted the challenge.
Fatimatou distributes healthy meals afor all students at the Gourou Public Primary School, enough.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
For the past five months, she has been working part-time in the school kitchen. Every day she prepares meals for the pupils.
"I love helping the children," she says with a smile. "Seeing their enthusiasm and joy when they enjoy the good meal motivates me to work every day.”
Fatimatou and her teammates ensure there is water for cooking and cleaning, and keep everything in order to maintain a healthy work environment.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
Although her job as a cook is demanding, she manages to juggle her canteen duties with caring for her son and other daily responsibilities. She says the job gives her satisfaction and fulfillment, and allows her to benefit from the valuable advice of her senior colleagues and make new acquaintances.
While preparing meals, Fatimatou is developing cooking skills and an understanding of how to run a kitchen-- preparation for future opportunities. Her presence in the canteen has not only filled an important gap but has also brought a new energy and human warmth that the children and other cooks members greatly appreciate.
Fatimatou holds her son during a break from her volunteer work at the Gourou Public Primary School canteen in northern Benin.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
This volunteer work not only offers Fatimatou an opportunity for personal fulfillment as she makes a significant contribution to her community, but she is also developing new skills that could pave the way for a career. What's more, this experience is enabling her to strengthen her professional network, familiarize herself with the different aspects of the catering sector, and acquire practical knowledge that will be essential for her future career.
The McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program supports the Keun Faaba III project in Benin. This is a five-year (2021-2026), multi-sectoral project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and implemented by Catholic Relief Services. In partnership with the American Institutes for Research, Caritas Benin and the Organization for Sustainable Development, Strengthening and Self-Promotion of Community Structures, and alongside a cohort of national ministries, the Keun Faaba III project provides daily meals to students, improves student literacy via strengthened teacher capacity, promotes good sanitation practices, and ensures the quality of locally sourced school lunch ingredients. 
The project works with more than 110,000 children, teachers and parents in 168 schools across four municipalities. To help increase economic activities and help families afford school enrollment fees, parents are encouraged to take part in Savings and Internal Lending Community groups.
