BENIN – ‘I used to be just a resident of Les Aguégués, but now that I am chair of the water committee, I am regularly invited to meetings at the town hall. I am involved in the development of our community, and I am very proud of that.’ The lives of Odette Hounkonnou and the residents of Les Aguégués have changed dramatically since Join For Water and Credel started working on the maintenance of the canals.
For the past year, Odette has been chair of the Local Water Committee of Les Aguégués, a municipality of Porto-Novo, in eastern Benin. She was elected by members representing various groups, such as fishermen and farmers.
The water committee meets four times a year to discuss any problems with the communities. The biggest challenge is the fact that the canals easily become clogged, mainly due to rampant vegetation. The water committee covers five zones, each of which has a technical committee responsible for maintaining and cleaning the canals.
The canals and boat transport are essential for work, school and trade. In a family, the father, mother and children each have a canoe to get around.
Since the committees were set up and the work they have carried out together with Credel and Join For Water, a lot has changed for the inhabitants of Les Aguégués, and certainly for Odette.
