ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin, Ambassador Amadou Diongue, presented a donation Monday, September 21, 2026, to the ‘House of Joy’ Child Care and Protection Centre (CAPE) ‘La Maison de la Joie’.

The ceremony took place at the Ouidah Town Hall and was attended by Mr. Fructueux Prudencio, representing the Mayor, along with a representative from the ECOWAS National Office in Benin at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, representatives of the CAPE, and the children at the centre.

The donation included foodstuffs such as maize, local rice, beans, spaghetti, onions, and oils, as well as school supplies including notebooks, textbooks, books, and pens.

The contribution also featured rolls of khaki fabric, a sewing machine, hairdressing equipment, and a financial contribution of five hundred thousand (500,000 CFA) to cover tuition and training fees for vocational and apprenticeship programmes.

In his address, Ambassador Diongue recalled that the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of ECOWAS, marked by solidarity and a commitment to strengthening the organisation’s impact on people’s lives by bringing it closer to their daily realities, forms part of the commitment made by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government when they adopted the Pact for the Future of Regional Integration.

This pact aims to consolidate regional unity, guarantee peace, and accelerate sustainable development within ECOWAS and the West African Community.

The Ambassador explained that the charitable initiative aims to bring the Community institution closer to all peoples by demonstrating its solidarity with vulnerable children and contributing to building their future, which he identified as the guiding principle of Pillar 5 of Vision 2050: Social Inclusion.

The Director of CAPE ‘the house of joy’, speaking on behalf of the Centre, expressed his gratitude to ECOWAS and noted that the donation comes at just the right time at the start of the academic year to help them meet their expenses.

He promised to put it to good use for the benefit of the children. The children then, through their spokespeople, expressed their deep gratitude to ECOWAS for remembering them during the celebrations marking its fifty-first anniversary in Benin.

They pledged to be good citizens, good pupils, and good apprentices.

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Source: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

By Daniel Inaju - Challydoff Limited · originally published by CLOSING OF ERCA’S INAUGURAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE : FOR AN OPEN, FAIR AND GENUINELY INTEGRATED WEST AFRICAN MARKET