Why Advance Benin?
Donate to Advance Benin
Provide Life Changing Education
Why is Advance Benin Needed?
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Benin is a country with incredible potential, but many children face barriers that keep them out of school and place them at risk of exploitation.
Poverty & Barriers to Education
Even though primary school is “free,” hidden costs uniforms, books, exam fees prevent thousands of children from enrolling. In rural communities, many drop out by age twelve because families simply cannot afford school supplies or depend on their children to work.
Child Labor & Trafficking
Over a million children in Benin are involved in child labor. Many girls are sent away as domestic servants, where they become highly vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. Once a child leaves school to work, returning becomes almost impossible.
Where We Step In
Advance Benin exists to protect these children and give them a path to a safer, brighter future through education. We:
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Provide full scholarships that break financial barriers
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Support families and shift mindsets around education
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Protect children from trafficking, child labor, and early marriage
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Follow each child closely to ensure safety, learning, and stability
Real Change Is Possible
Since 2019, stories like Kemi’s, a young girl trafficked into domestic labor who is now thriving in school, show what happens when a child receives protection, support, and opportunity.
Advance Benin is needed because every child deserves safety, dignity, and the chance to learn and dream.
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Why donate to Advance Benin?
Your support does more than send a child to school. It protects them.
In many rural communities in Benin, children are at high risk of child trafficking, domestic servitude, forced labor, and early marriage. Poverty pushes families into impossible choices, and education becomes the first thing sacrificed.
Advance Benin works to break this cycle.
When you donate, you help us:
Protect Vulnerable Children
We identify children at risk of trafficking or exploitation and ensure they are safe, supported, and enrolled in school where they belong.
Remove Financial Barriers
Your support provides scholarships that cover tuition, uniforms, school supplies, and transportation. Everything a child needs to stay in school and thrive.
Strengthen Families & Communities
We work closely with parents, guiding them to see education as an investment in their family’s future. As families change, entire communities change with them.
Ensure Every Child Succeeds
Our team regularly visits students and families, monitors progress, mentors children, and ensures they are protected, learning, and growing.
Your Donation Creates Lasting Protection
Children who stay in school are far less likely to be trafficked, exploited, or forced into early marriage. Education gives them choices, confidence, and a path to a brighter future.
You Can Change a Child’s Story
When you give, you are not just donating—you are protecting a child, strengthening a family, and transforming a community.
Become a Monthly Defender
Join our mission by becoming a monthly donor. Your consistent support empowers us to protect more children and respond quickly when a child is at risk.
HOW DOES YOUR DONATION WORK?
WE PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES
Local staff start by partnering with the community leaders to establish a relationship with the schools. Our aim is to enable children, with their families and communities, to build a better future for themselves.
YOUR MONEY AT WORK
Your donation provides essential school supplies as well as any documentation these children may need to enroll and attend their local school for one year. By donating, you are sharing love and giving hope through an educational opportunity to some of the poorest and most vulnerable children as identified by local leaders.
YOUR MONEY AT WORK
Vulnerable children are identified by local leaders. $250 provides school supplies and one meal per day during the school year for one of these vulnerable children. Your donation is a powerful way to share love and give hope by granting an educational opportunity.
AN ONGOING COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN
Your yearly donation goes directly to fill the primary educational needs of a child. It covers all necessary school supplies and allows them to attend advanced educational institutions. Advance Benin further maximizes the positive impact of your donation by organizing an annual awareness campaign to help fight misinformation.
CELEBRATE THE PROGRESS
Your love, prayers and donations result in real, lasting change for a child, their family and their community. Every child in school is off the street and protected. Enjoy seeing proof that your support is changing children’s lives by signing up for our newsletter or checking our Facebook page for updates.
CELEBRATE THE PROGRESS
Your love, prayers and donations result in real, lasting change for a child, their family and their community. Every child in school is off the street and protected. Enjoy seeing proof that your support is changing children’s lives by signing up for our newsletter or checking our Facebook page for updates.
Cultivating Dreams Through Education
The Advance Benin team is driven by a shared passion and commitment to making a difference. We work to help children in need gain access to school, opening the door to a brighter, more promising future.
Every child deserves the chance to learn, grow, and dream. By bridging the gap between vulnerability and opportunity, we aim to break the cycle of poverty and create lasting change.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Advance Benin team is driven by a shared passion and commitment to making a difference. We work to help children in need gain access to school, opening the door to a brighter, more promising future.
Every child deserves the chance to learn, grow, and dream. By bridging the gap between vulnerability and opportunity, we aim to break the cycle of poverty and create lasting change.
What makes Advance Benin different?
Advance Benin is the only non-profit organization currently operating in Benin that offers scholarship and provides everything kids need to succeed.
Advance Benin gives these children the full package- from school supplies to the school uniforms they need to wear. Their one set of uniforms becomes, in many cases, the only clothing they have to wear all year.
Can I donate school supplies?
At this stage, we have found the cost of sending supplies from the United States to Benin outweighs the benefits. The most effective use of our resources is to purchase supplies, fabric and food from individual vendors at bulk rates. We take every available opportunity to enrich the local economies of the children and schools we serve. We will be open to sending larger, more expensive items such as vehicles, electronics, etc. via shipping containers in the future, but we are not equipped for that just yet!
How can I help?
There are a variety of ways that you can help.
- Donations – Monetary donations are accepted through our website.
- Spread the word – Do you know someone who might find what we do interesting? Tell them about us! Direct them to our website to learn more.
- Volunteer your time – while these opportunities are limited right now, we will do our best to make use of your time and talents – ask us how.
- We will post any upcoming fundraising events and volunteer opportunities to the website and to our Facebook page. Come back often to check for updates!
What are your immediate needs?
- Advance Benin needs a physical office in Benin to comply with the Beninese government regulations and to be able to operate more efficiently.
- We need to apply for International NGO status with the Beninese government. Achieving this status will allow us to operate more effectively and with more authority regarding the safety and protection of vulnerable children.
- We need funds to travel to Benin and to hire professional, dedicated staff in Benin. Currently we are relying upon volunteers in the country, however, few Beninese can afford to spend their time not making money for their families! We would like to be able to hire a full-time Executive Director and Assistant in the near future!
- We need a vehicle in Benin. Many of our students live in remote villages far away from our main team in Cotonou. We are aiming to visit these families 4 times per year to deliver their supplies, coordinate with school and local authorities and most importantly foster a relationship! Currently we rent transportation but we feel our funds could be better utilized by purchasing and maintaining a reliable vehicle.
What are your future goals?
- Expand to more schools in Cotonou and remote villages.
- Partner with local authorities to encourage enrollment in public schools and explain the importance education plays in empowering a community.
- Create scholarship programs for children who graduate to continue on to university or skilled programs.
- Influence the Benin government to prioritize education of youth.
- Build an infrastructure that features a library, computer labs and critical resources to support long term and effective opportunities for education across the country.