07 July 2006

Cotonou, Benin: Beninese women engaged in food production recently received skills training to boost their income as part of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme’s Corporate/Private Sector initiative.

Two Italian volunteers, Franco Guiralanda and Giacomo Uccelli, both specialists in food production, spent one month in the West African nation to provide training to 37 members of a women’s NGO, Association Femmes et Vie (Women and Life), in Seme Podki, a community 20 kilometres east of the capital city of Cotonou.

UNV’s Corporate/Private Sector initiative provides employees of companies and members of senior professionals associations opportunities to volunteer specialized skills in support of strengthening private sector development. The initiative’s aim is to create jobs, raise production efficiency, support socio-economic growth, promote environmental protection, introduce Information and Communication Technology for Development and aid market expansion in developing countries.

The Italian volunteers, coming from Italy’s association, Seniores Italia, [http://www.senioresitalia.it] held training seminars on biscuit production and fruit processing to produce syrups, juices and jams. The training objective was to diversify the product range using locally resourced raw materials.

At a ceremony last month to mark the end of the training, officials from the community and representatives of the UN in Benin presented awards to the participants.

The UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Resident Representative in Benin, Edith Gasana, addressed the closing ceremony by speaking on the importance of training women and the role of volunteerism in community development. She encouraged the women to share their new skills to the community at large to ensure greater dissemination of knowledge. Association Femmes et Vie president Jeanette Egbewoule also spoke to the attendees, thanking the trainers for sharing their time and skills as well as rallying the women to now volunteer in their own communities.