Every year on 8 March we celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme for 2023 is “For an inclusive digital world: innovation and technology for gender equality”. On this occasion, we share with you the story of Yvette, a young ambassador for children’s rights in Benin who grew up in an SOS children’s village. Today she is a real role model for young people.
Yvette was only four years old when her father died. Her mother, from a small village in northern Benin, could not support her and her brother, so Yvette joined the SOS Children’s Village in Natitingou. “I spent my whole life there, but I still went to see my biological mother during the holidays“, recalls Yvette, who is now 23.
From a young age, Yvette has been a brilliant student. She was already the best in primary school, determined and committed to embarking on an ambitious adventure that would have taken her far from where her life started.
“I learned my values from SOS Children’s Villages. When you come from a disadvantaged background and are given a second chance, you have to work hard and achieve things in life. I have to succeed” says Yvette, as she arranges her university books on the shelves of her studio in the heart of the port city of Cotonou.
At the SOS Children’s Village, when her mother went on holiday, Yvette took care of the other children she lived with, “I wasn’t the oldest, but I cared about them and I always liked to be given responsibility.”
Yvette was born in a rural community where being a child is not easy. Physical abuse of children at school and at home is common. She was only nine years old when she became a class representative and a member of the school executive committee and started to raise awareness among children and adults about the issue of physical abuse.
« SOS Children’s Villages teaches children’s rights, so I became aware of some of the issues affecting children that I am particularly sensitive to […] I have never been afraid to talk to adults, because at SOS Children’s Villages we have always been free to express ourselves and communicate openly. ».
Yvette
In 2012, on the occasion of the International Day of the Child, Yvette and other child rights defenders organised and conducted advocacy activities with local authorities in the Atakora district in northern Benin. They asked for financial support and school materials for students in the area. Yvette’s speech was broadcast on TV.
In 2020, with the support of SOS Children’s Villages, Yvette and another young ambassador developed a project for the protection of children’s rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project was submitted to Youth Power – an international youth empowerment programme sponsored by USAID – and was selected and funded. “With the help of SOS Children’s Villages, we were able to train 2,500 young people in different communities in Benin on the risks of Covid-19 and how to reduce them. We were also able to distribute hygiene kits.”
Employability of young people at the centre of Yvette’s social commitment
Today, Yvette, the child rights advocate, focuses primarily on youth employability. “Now that I am a young woman, I know that children need to become independent and learn to become independent.”
In 2017, Yvette participated in the international launch of YouthCan! a programme of SOS Children’s Villages that promotes the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people around the world. She went to Addis Ababa to represent Benin at the inaugural conference, where she spoke about the challenges young people in Benin face in finding a job. “Seeing that my commitment had an international resonance was a nice surprise. People were listening to me, and not just in my community or district. A child at the event told me that I was a role model for him, which touched me. I would like to carry my voice even further,” she says proudly.
Yvette would now like to speak in front of the High Representatives of the United Nations: “This would be the beginning of a real change for millions of children in my country, Benin.”
Yvette has a degree in financial management and accounting and a master’s degree in management control, auditing and finance. She is polishing her CV, to put all the chances on her side. She hopes that her efforts will be rewarded and that her dreams will become reality.
Yvette participates in the Learnio programme in Benin
To address the shortage of jobs in the country, SOS Children’s Villages Benin, with its partner Learnio, has set up a computer training programme for young people. The aim is to accompany the young beneficiaries on the road to independence, particularly through entrepreneurship. Of the 69 young people who completed their training, 14 got a job with an annual income of about $8600 (the gross national income per capita in Benin is $1350*) and many others with a lower income. In addition to acquiring computer skills (website creation, graphic design, digital marketing), the training allows the young people to strengthen their social integration by offering them the opportunity to exchange and work with other young professionals in the community, to gain experience and to develop their self-confidence, particularly in a professional environment. Finally, learning English, which is an integral part of the Learnio programme, will give them more professional opportunities in the future.
*Source : Banque Mondiale
Yvette has completed this training, is currently freelance and works for an international service provider specialising in the creation of professional presentation materials. When asked what she would advise young women like her to do, Yvette says:
« I would like to encourage girls and women not to limit themselves in learning and employment. We need to adapt to the changing world and also to the needs of the labour market. Work on developing your digital skills so that you have the same knowledge and skills as men. It is a real field with many career opportunities. »
Yvette
To find out more about Yvette’s background and the Learnio course: https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/news/technology-has-changed-my-life
Through PACOPE (Programmes d’Accompagnement des Communautés pour la Protection de l’Enfant) SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde supports the communities of Abomey-Calavi and Parakou in Benin.
Support for communities in Parakou
Support for communities in Abomey-Calavi
© Photos : Jessica Tradati