HIV-related social protection in Benin: The recognitions of Thérèse Hessou Hontonou

The workshop to launch the evaluation of the social protection system linked to HIV in Benin took place at the end of the past week in Cotonou. An activity initiated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance, with the support of UNAIDS for the creation of a platform to promote the massive adhesion of the groups under study. On this occasion, the rapporteur of the Steering Committee, Thérèse Hessou Hontonou recognized the merits of the living forces in the outcome of this study.

Promote contact between the evaluation team and the representatives of the target groups; share the evaluation methodology with all stakeholders ; collect general information that can allow the evaluation team to optimize the search ; discuss the different roles and responsibilities of the actors involved in this assessment and share the roadmap for the next steps. These are the objectives of this workshop to launch the evaluation of the HIV-related social protection system in Benin.. During this sitting, several presentations were discussed, in particular on “UNAIDS Social Protection Tools”, “study protocol”, “presentation on the nature of the data to be collected and the available bibliography”. Group work by categories of actors was set up to identify the gaps in the data to be completed and the necessary bibliography.

The Steering Committee rapporteur, Therese Hessou Hontonou, Deputy Director General of Social Affairs, will say that the members of the Steering Committee, for several weeks, have worked to improve the quality of the protocol proposed by the consultants as part of this study. This is why she did not fail to send them her sincere thanks for their availability and commitment to work to ensure that Benin has a quality document.. She recalled that they had to work with the privileged partner that is UNAIDS which was at their side with financial and technical support without forgetting their availability..

Opportunity for her to thank the entire UNAIDS team for their support. The Steering Committee rapporteur did not fail to make a special mention of the Minister of Social Affairs and Microfinance who, through his commitment and his orientations, brought the Committee to this stage of the study process. “I would like on behalf of the Steering Committee, kindly ask you to send to the Minister, our respectful tributes and our deep gratitude for his constant support throughout the various stages of this study”, concluded the Deputy Director General of Social Affairs, Therese Hessou Hontonou. It should be noted that the Minister of Social Affairs and Microfinance was represented by her Deputy Director in the Cabinet (Dac), Bamisso Yessoufou Yolou.

Patrice ADJAHO