Africa

Benin/Togo

Health
Nutrition
Protection

2024

mission start date

national staff

expatriate staff

20 600

people supported

2024

mission start date

national staff

expatriate staff

20 600

people supported

Context

Since 2022, living conditions in Benin and Togo have worsened. Whereas the urban areas of the southern regions are benefiting from a relatively growing economy and improved access to certain basic services, the more remote areas of the northern regions are facing major structural difficulties. Basic services are dysfunctional and socio-economic realities are marked by major regional trends. Insecurity linked to armed groups, the situation in the Sahel and the scarcity of resources are causing population displacements, with thousands of refugees and displaced people, the majority of whom are women and children vulnerable to the growing violence. Already fragile basic services, particularly in the health sector, are now insufficient to meet these new needs, and inter-community tensions, exacerbated by the presence of radical groups, worsen these vulnerabilities.

Our approach
Description of the mission

Faced with the deteriorating security situation in the northern regions of Togo and Benin since 2022, Première Urgence Internationale aims to increase access to primary healthcare and services for local communities, displaced people, refugees and asylum seekers in the Atacora department of Benin and the Savanes region of Togo. Première Urgence Internationale’s first intervention in the two countries will be to support local organizations in expanding their scope of intervention and the number of beneficiaries they serve, and to help them build their capacities through training, minor works and workshops. Needs assessment missions in Togo are also planned in the near future.

Première Urgence Internationale
in action

Première Urgence Internationale is keen to respond to growing needs in a way that complements existing initiatives. Our teams are working to strengthen local stakeholders as much as possible, proposing targeted, local actions to support the priorities of national and local health authorities in Benin and Togo. Première Urgence Internationale works to improve access to healthcare for people living far from health centers, in support of an organization already present in the field. In coordination with local authorities, the mission aims to facilitate the provision of quality care in these centers by responding to shortages of medical inputs. This action will be complemented by functional rehabilitation work and support for water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the region’s healthcare structures. Emergency preparedness capacities will also be shared, in collaboration with authorities and partners.