Coopermondo’s activities in Benin are inserted within a project of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (IFMA). For over 10 years the Sisters offered help and assistance to girls in Cotonou who have been victims of exploitation and violence. In the Maison de l’Esperance professional and technical training was offered to these young women in order to ensure their economic independence. Coopermondo supported this empowerment process by spreading among the young apprentices the culture of the Italian cooperative business model. Coopermondo also contributed to the emergence of 6 groupements – an early form of cooperative aggregation – in six different areas of the country.
Achievements include:

• 49 girls were housed at the center “House of Hope”
• 7 girls have been reintegrated into their families
• 196 young people have attended professional training courses (chef, beautician, hairdresser, pastry chef, bakery, tailoring)
• 6 groupement of women have been created with 82 women working together to ensure their economic independence and food security of their families.