“We’re going to work on strengthening the institutional anchoring of PAEFE II”.
The ngo Solidar Suisse of Burkina Faso, in consortium with Helvetas Suisse Intercooperation, plays a leading role in implementing and monitoring the Programme d’Appui à l’Education et à la Formation des Enfants exclus du système éducatif (PAEFE) in Benin. Dieudonné Zongo, Solidar Suisse’s country representative, was in Kandi with deputy coordinator Sibiri Valentin Ilboudo to launch phase II of the program. In this exclusive interview with Educ’Action, a newspaper specializing in education in Benin, he talks about the NGO’s contribution to setting up PAEFE, and in particular about the innovations Solidar Suisse intends to bring to the program in phase II to achieve better results. Read on!
Educ’Action: How is Solidar Suisse helping to set up the PAEFE?
Dieudonné Zaongo: PAEFE is a program financed by the SDC and implemented by the consortium Helvetas Suisse Intercooperation and Solidar Suisse of Burkina Faso. The PAEFE program is an adaptation of a Literacy – Intensive Training (AFI) program for young people aged 9 to 15, which has been successfully implemented in Burkina Faso. Solidar Suisse’s role in this consortium is to provide technical support for the implementation of this program for children excluded from the education system in Benin. In concrete terms, this involves capacity-building for the players involved, advocacy, the design of teaching materials and the training of supervisors and teachers, as well as monitoring.
Educ’Action: Are you satisfied with the results obtained at the end of the first phase of the PAEFE program?
Dieudonné Zaongo:We’re really very satisfied, because when we look at the results of the first phase, it’s quite encouraging, given the involvement of the local authorities, the administrative authorities and the commitment of the parents. Generally speaking, parents are reticent when it comes to innovations, and want to wait to see the results, but here, the Barka centers are very enthusiastic, and we’re reassured by the pedagogical results. I believe that in the second phase, this will be reinforced with the transfer of skills and also capacity-building for the players involved, to ensure better appropriation of the approach.
Educ’Action: As you’ve already said, what innovations does Solidar Suisse intend to bring to this program in Phase II to achieve better results?
Dieudonné Zaongo: For us, it’s a question of encouraging and working harder to strengthen the institutional anchoring of the program. At present, we have experts coming from Burkina Faso to help with design, training and follow-up. So our role in the second phase will be mainly to transfer skills so that, increasingly, local players can play our current role. This will be both our goal and our dream.