Benin Map

Benin

Adolescents in Benin comprise close to one-third of the entire population. They are faced with the same daunting challenges as their peers in most other West African nations. Girls, in particular, are most vulnerable. They are impoverished and poorly educated, and only 34 per cent of them between the ages of 6 and 11 attend school. Many girls marry and become mothers by the age of 19. Maternal mortality is very high,: nearly 500 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of girls are forced to go through female genital cutting.

A comprehensive project launched in 2001 by UNFPA and UNICEF -- Health and Social Services for Adolescent Girls in Benin ; Empowering Adolescent Girls and Enhancing their Reproductive Rights (EAGER) - is helping the government address gender and education inequities.

The overall target is to reach 200,000 adolescent girls and boys, both married and single, by the end of 2004.

More information and activities on this project >>