Situation in Benin:
Benin faces major challenges, particularly due to a lack of social security and unequal economic opportunities. Education Vocational Education and Training Labour Markets are insufficiently adapted to the needs of the labour market. There is no structured training for the profession of optician, which means that the population has little access to customised visual aids. Spectacles are mostly made from standardised building components and professional care is severely limited.
Focus on partnership:
The project is supported by the Saarland Ministry of Education and Culture and implemented in cooperation with Entwicklungsförderung Benin e.V. (EFB). Partners on the German side are also "Brillen ohne Grenzen - Gudd-Zweck UG" and the Entwicklungsdienst deutscher Augenoptiker (EDA). In Benin, the municipality of Copargo, the Centre Professionnel in Djougou and the Hôpital Saint Jean de Dieu de Tanguiéta are involved. The cooperation is being guided by the Ministry of Secondary Education and Vocational Education and Training in Benin.
Project objectives and measures:
The objective is to establish a training model for opticians in Benin that provides practical qualifications and promotes women in rural regions in particular. The project strengthens career prospects and contributes to economic development.
- Information trip:
A delegation from administration, politics and education from Benin visits Saarland to gain insights into German training structures. Visits to vocational schools, training companies and ministries promote dialogue. - Construction of the training workshop and curriculum development:
A training workshop is set up in Djougou and a suitable curriculum is developed together with the partners. - Training of female opticians:
Ten women will receive training sessions in business management basics. After a final test, six participants receive practical training from the EDA and are taught how to use equipment and perform manual tasks. - Online support and qualification:
After completing their training, the trainees receive further training online, e.g. on repairing glasses and customer communication. This ensures a sustainable transfer of knowledge. - Multiplier effect:
After their training, the qualified opticians are expected to train other experts in the workshop and thus strengthen vocational training in Benin. - Empowerment seminar:
A two-day seminar strengthens the participants' self-confidence and promotes their role as women in vocational training.
Expected impact:
The project creates career prospects in a previously non-formalised occupational field, improves the supply of visual aids to the population and promotes equality for women in the world of work. It contributes to sustainable socio-economic development in Benin.
The project factsheet will be available here soon.