Sustainable Design and Development in Benin, West Africa

Sustainable Design and Development in Benin, West Africa

Application deadline: November 1, 2013

Travel dates: Mid-May to Beginning of June

Completion of on-line course: June – July 11^th

Courses: ENGR 411 (Required for engineering degree), ENGR 480 (Engineering technical elective)

Program Description: When we drive around and walk through the neighborhoods, I see many images that break my heart.  There is sewage and trash in the streets.  People wear filthy, torn clothes.  The children’s swollen bellies show proof of malnutrition.  I know that even if I don’t take a single picture, these are the images that will stick with me; these are the things that I will tell people about back at home.  However, when I describe these sites, people will inevitably be moved and pity Beninese people.  I expect my friends and family to ask something along the lines of, “What should we do to help?”  This is where I struggle to find an answer.

Engineering and science students will travel to Benin to see how sustainable development strategies with WATER partners have empowered and lifted people out of poverty in West Africa. Students and faculty will travel to Benin for two to three weeks from mid-May through early June, 2014 .

Students will study sustainable development practices at the Songhai Centre, a United Nations Center of Excellence. Students will visit and analyze development practice at the three Centers in Benin and will have the opportunity to see most of the entire country of Benin. 

The Songhai Center is absolutely amazing. They are able to produce so much and waste so little. This makes me think of how wasteful America is. If we implemented the technologies used at the Songhai Center, production would increase while costs and the amount of resources used would decrease.

Before I first arrived I had these preconceived notions of what the water was really going to be like. I had heard how bad it was and had envisioned brown stagnant water that was pulled from a pond and had little floaters of who knows what in it. I had envisioned it being the same water that was used to water the horses and livestock along with being the communal bathtub and restroom.  Although this seems scary the truly scary thing is that the water that they are drinking looks very similar to the water that comes out of my tap back at home. The only difference that can be noticed is when you fill up the sink. It has a brown tinge to it. But other than that it looks clean, it doesn’t smell bad, and to the common eye you really can’t tell anything is wrong with it. Unfortunately it is a haven for parasites and coli forms. Personally I thought that water that kills would look a lot different than water that is safe.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  

Songhai Centre was founded by Fr. Godfrey Nzamujo in 1985 on one hectare of marshes given to him by the Beninese government. He started producing crops, vegetables, fruits, and fish with six de-schooled youth. Today, in its four main centers only, Songhai works on over 550 hectares of land and 46 of water, has approximately 400 employees, 500 trainees at any one time, 20,000 visitors per year, and has created a network of over 250 farms producing according to the Songhai model, delivering training, and sharing knowledge and experience. The organization has grown from one to five centers across Benin, five in Nigeria, two in Congo Brazzaville, one in Liberia, and one in Sierra Leone. In 2008, Songhai signed an agreement with the UN to replicate its model in 11 other African countries, and is currently working to open 11 new centers in Benin, including four with the Beninese government. Songhai describes itself as “a catalyst of rural transformation through productive and decent work.” Its motto – “Africa stands up” – is consistent with its purpose statement: “Building the capacities of African local communities in agriculture, agribusiness, and cottage industries to enable them to overcome poverty, and become innovative actors of development by productively and sustainably producing, processing, and marketing their own production, and by sharing knowledge with each other.”

Students will participate in a service learning project with NGO partners in Benin, and community organizations. Students will define and develop a proposal to analyze the positive progress in economic, environmental, and societal impacts of sustainable development programs in Benin. Students will perform this analysis upon return to the states, using modern engineering tools and analytical techniques.

I’m so glad that I am not leaving Benin with the same impressions I had last week.  I was so struck by the sad images I saw – the filthy streets, the malnutritioned children, the houses that were falling apart – that I was focused too much on the differences between Benin and the United States.  Now that I’ve been able to connect with some people, I can see the country for the people.  I can think of the health and clean water issues in terms of what individuals would want for themselves and their families.

What a trip it was. From the people to the smells to the food, it was all something that can only be understood through experiencing it for myself.

Though I am so far away, I have had an experience that has taught me things and shown me things I will never forget. And now, I have a choice – what to do with that experience. I am not sure what direction it will take me, but one thing is for sure, I will not let my lessons learned there slip away from me.

This program is open to all science and engineering students. Students will take two course in engineering: ENGR 411: Fundamentals of Sustainable Engineering and ENGR 480: Field Studies in Sustainable Development. Students should have a strong foundation in math and chemistry, common to first year requirements in science and engineering programs

Estimate costs: Estimated Program Fee ~$1900 which covers required admissions, room (shared with 1 other student), board and transportation in Benin. Tuition for 6 credits required (6 x $323 for VA in-state tuition). Airfare to Cotonou, Benin (airport Code: COO) is not included in the program fee and must be purchased separately.

To apply for the 2014 program visit the James Madison University OIP webpage for the WATER in Benin Study Abroad Program. This program is limited to twelve participants, so be sure to apply by November 1st, 2013 to reserve your chance to "be the change".

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