Benin

Rural & Hungry

The Republic of Benin is one of the poorest nations in the world. Many children face deep levels of hunger. Our priority is to deliver thousands of nutritious meals to kids and their families across the country.
Philippe Baret/Unsplash
Make a difference in Benin

Hunger in Benin

More than 70% of Benin’s population depends on agriculture. Rural communities are especially vulnerable to climate-related disasters including floods and drought.

Benin Facts

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Population: 11.8 million people.
Background: Since 1990, Benin has been a politically stable democracy with a culture of peaceful transitions of power.
Geography & Climate: Benin is a narrow strip of land in West Africa. The country is bordered by Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. Benin’s climate is tropical and humid, and the country faces increasing climate shocks like drought, flooding and rising sea levels that threaten its mangrove ecosystems and highly populated coastline.
Economy: Benin’s population is heavily rural and low-income. Agriculture is key to the country’s economy: The sector is made up mostly of small, fragmented farms and contributes 30% of the national gross domestic product.

Causes of Hunger

Recent History

WFP’s Work in Benin

WFP has been on the ground in Benin since 1964. Through unrest and climate shocks, we’ve stayed the course to deliver nutritious food to the people who need it most. In 2022, we helped more than 1 million people across the country.
Ghana, Accra, Kotoka International Airport, UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), 06 April 2020

The UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra is located within the Kotoka International Airport and is strategically placed to support emergency preparedness and response for the West and Central African regions. The refurbishment of this depot was completed in 2014 and was generously made available by the Government of Ghana.

In the Photo: a cargo plane carrying 60 MT of PPEs donated by the Chinese Government (the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges and the National Health Commission) to 18 West African countries arrived in UNHRD Accra this week. The bulk cargo has been disassembled and sorted into batches per recipient country.
The items, as instructed by CICETE and NHS, are planned to be delivered to Guinea, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Togo, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin and Burkina Faso.
The consignment for Ghana has already been collected from UNHRD premises in Accra, and the first dispatches have started to the Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.

Photo: WFP/Ashwini Rai
Capacity Strengthening
We’re building on a national school meals model and strengthening local capacity to eventually hand over ownership of our school meals program. We continue to support food security monitoring and early warning emergency preparedness systems.
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School Meals
In 2022, we helped feed over 1 million children with daily school meals, including through take-home rations and cash assistance. We take an integrated approach to school meals by linking education, nutrition, health and hygiene, and by sourcing food locally.
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Nutrition
We provide specialized nutritious food or supplements to children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls in targeted areas to treat and prevent malnutrition. We also support Benin’s health services by strengthening their capacities in nutrition and education.
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