The originality of Friends of Bonou

• ALL funds raised go directly to the village: We have virtually no administration costs.
• Local people tell us what they need, not the other way around: We recognize that the villagers know better than us what they need: Therefore we participate in THEIR projects and not the other way around and primacy is given to local initiatives.
• The country we work in, Bénin, is a fully fledged, functioning democracy with solid institutions, where there is no war, no devastating famine and no ethnic tensions.
• Our work with the community in Bonou is based on mutual trust, respect and a healthy debate. We form friendship, learn about each other's culture and background, accept and try to understand our differences, share information and expertise. We each learn from and give to the other in different ways. Our journey together is rewarding, exciting and sometimes quite difficult!