Projects for Progress has a heart for reaching those in the sex and slave trade industry and this is our first step. We are beginning with 10 girls that have a desire to get off the streets, that have expressed a fight and a dream to take them beyond where they are living and give them a new source of income, one that is sustainable. We have farmland where they will raise animals, beginning with chickens, and sell the animal or animal products, such as eggs or milk. They will sell them through a store that PFP is building on the land, a store where they will begin to earn an honorable income for them and their children. We desire for them to begin to develop their dreams, to plant a future of success and hope for their children and it can be done through this program.

In July 2008, we fell in love with the village of Tourou.  Tourou is located in the northern part of Benin, about 10 miles outside of the city of Parakou.  Tourou is unique in that the population of Tourou is roughly 15,000 people but serves as a "central" market to about 50,000 people from surrounding villages throughout the bush.  While on one of our trips to Tourou in 2008, we realized the strong need for a well that pumps clean water for use by the village.  There are other wells in the area that are either broken or require people to pay for clean water.  Even at the small $.01-02 per basin of clean water, many villagers would be forced to use the dirty "free" water as they could not afford the luxury of continuing to pay for clean water.  We saw the need and did something about it.  In June 2009, we built a well that now provides water to 15-25,000 people.  This well is free for all to use and we keep it well monitored and maintained to insure that all who desire clean water can have it.  As we have started to erradicate waterborne illnesses in the village of Tourou, our sights have again shifted to another need.  Tourou currently has a primary school and the first half of the seocndary school (grades 4-5th).  Children in Tourou have the ability to go to school through the 5th grade or so but it is our desire to complete the second part of secondary school and construct schools to house 6th-8th grade.  With schooling through 9th grade, these children have an opportunity to go to high school in the larger city of Parakou.  What an opportunity to be able to go beyond the 5th grade and proceed to high school and possibly even college!!  It is our goal to build this secondary school in Tourou and give hundreds of children an opportunity to grow outside their village.  A secondary school will cost $15,000 to construct and equip with the necessary equipment a school for grades 6 through 8.

The orphan program began in October of 2009. It started with 15 orphans and has slowly been growing. Through the program each child receives education, medicine, and food for the caregiving family. The way it works in Benin is that a child belongs to the father and the father’s side of the family, he “owns” the child. So when the father passes away, the mother is “released” to marry into another family and the children go to live with their father’s side of the family. They are the first to be put to work, the last to get food, education, and medical attention. They are seen as nothing but a new burden on the family. Although they are not living in an orphanage, they are very much alone and on their own. Through our program, the new family receives food so that the orphan child does not have to work and we pay for them to get an education. Those that are adopted parents are completely changing the course of their adopted child’s life in ways that are hard for us in the U.S. to wrap our minds around. No longer will they have to beg, work, and feel worthless, but now they can be educated, have value, and begin to find a purpose and plan for their life.

A staple of a thriving vibrant community is clean drinking water. Without clean drinking water disease, water borne illnesses, and death are rampant. Cholera and rotavirus, diarrheal diseases, kill thousands of children each year in Benin due to the dirty water. Because the children are dehydrated, have weakened immune systems, and are malnourished they continually get sick from the dirty water. These diseases and sicknesses are completely curable, but they must have clean water to overcome them. A well costs approximately 15, 000 USD and will provide clean water for 15,000-25,000 people until the end of time. Generations will no longer be plagued with these diseases and they will have the opportunities to work, go to school, and live a healthy life. We have currently built two wells in the north of Benin.

The first is in the village of Tourou and the second in the village of Sansoon. They are now on their way to healthy living within these villages, on their way to lower death rates among children, on their way to decrease water borne illnesses, and a better life.