Drill a Well and Irrigate a new farm in Benin

Dear Friends, 

Happy New Year!  We are off to a great start for 2023.  We continue our work on awareness and promotion to stop the chaining of people with mental challenges in West Africa.  ASC continues robust programs in Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast and Togo.  Plans continue to expand into Nigeria and we eagerly anticipate the grand opening of the Addiction Treatment Center in Dassa, Benin. The construction needs to be completed as well as staff training which is underway.  

The farm plans have expanded beyond the well and we are grateful for your support of the well.   The vision for the farm is as follows:

It will support the expenses of running the Addiction Center.   

1. As soon as funding allows, construction of the farm building will begin. It will be fitted for the occupation of 20 people, i.e. staff and patients ready for reintegration back to their communities.  The land is ready to undertake the work.
2. Next weeding and stump removal to allow cultivation. The 17-hectare land is made up of two adjacent plots.
3. The installation of solar electrification and the irrigation system with a pump.
4. The last step will be sowing and transplanting. The crops planned are: banana, cassava, maize, pigeon peas and a significant vegetable production for example, tomato, onions, and peppers.

The proper training and expertise have been secured for management of crops and the environment.  

We are excited to have you follow along.  Thank you for your support and care of the people we serve in West Africa.

Dear Friends, 

Thank you so much for your continued support!  The cashews are growing so well in Togo that we got word from our founder, Gregoire Ahongbonon, requesting us to shift focus to Benin! Gregoire's idea is to create an agricultural project at Dassa in Benin.  This project will be on 35 hectares (86.5 acres) near Dassa, in support of the new Addiction Center projected to open in summer 2023. A variety of plants will be grown and will serve as healthy food for the residents, a source of income for Association Saint-Camille (ASC) and a rehabilitation project for those interested in obtaining farming skills.  This project is a win-win as it has been proven successful in other areas where ASC has established farms.    

The total cost of the well project is $6,574 USD. We hope to reach this goal by the end of the year with your help and other partners. A biography of Gregoire, Le Regard Qui Libere (The Gaze that Frees), by consulting psychiatrist, Dr. Benoit Des Roches has been published in French. It has been promoted at several events in Canada.  All proceeds will go to ASC.

The project at Dassa is coming along and we eagerly await the completion of construction and the arrival of the first residents. Land has been donated in Nigeria, and we are awaiting finalization of the legal transfer to ASC.  It will be exciting to open a center in the first English speaking country for Saint-Camille. These projects will take several years to develop and we hope that you will stay involved with us over that time period. 

We have built new momentum with the interest of volunteers and trainees since Gregoire Ahongbonon was awarded the Dr. Chester M. Pierce Human Rights award from the American Psychiatric Association in May 2022.  Our core mission is to raise awareness of the plight of the mentally ill population in West Africa and expand the breadth of expertise available per Gregoire's visionary leadership. 

Thank you for continuing to make this vision a reality.           

Links:

• Drone footage of Dassa construction