The Benin Project
Ongoing project focusing on the work of ten community-led groups in the greater Klouékanmè area of Benin, West Africa.
The Klouékanmè Center Tree of Life Orphanage
Kantos and one of the children are taking over the dance floor. August 2024.
August 2024
August 2024
The children performing a dance they created, August 2025.
Koutimè Women’s Group
Traditionally, dancing and singing are woven into any meeting or general gathering. For this group, they create food with a long shelf life to sustain families in the long term, August 2024.
Alongside their business, these women are in a club soccer team, August 2024.
The main crop used for production, August 2024.
Drying racks created for foods, August 2024.
Various items ready for sale, August 2024.
The Tchankada Women’s Group
The Tchankada Women’s Group
These women carry out a small-scale agricultural income-generating projects using composting to improve production. They also focus on women’s empowerment, August 2025.
Young girl seated behind the adults listening to the meeting. August 2025.
Traditional daily practice that thanks each individual for arriving. August 2024.
Part of the traditional greeting, when guests ask permission to proceed with the meeting August 2026.
August 2024.
Groupement des Femmes des Hommes et Femmes Producteurs de Louffa
Group of Woman and Men Producers of Loofah
During each group visit, Elizabeth read a letter expressing where she had been over the years and how amazing it was to reunite and see each group's work continue. This group specializes in producing loofahs to be sold in markets, August 2025.
It is customary for visitors to drink water offered to them after a member of the group takes the first sip, August 2024.
The seed and fruit of the loofah, August 2024.
Last step of loofah production when they are dried in the sun, August 2024.
Designated storage place for loofah, August 2024.
August 2025
Groupement de Femmes Apprêtées Orphelines aux Divers Métiers de Agbonougan.
Group of Orphaned Female Apprentices in Various Trades in Agbonougan
The woman in the foreground is Edah Jolie. She created a space and opportunity for girls to learn how to make clothes and style hair, giving them a chance to work a steady job after their apprenticeship. Some girls live with Mrs. Jolie and others come only during the day, August 2025.
Two hair salon apprentices dancing after the meeting, August 2024.
Inside the workshop for seamstresses, August 2025.
To generate income, the groups sell grafted seedlings. The grafting process involves taking a bud from a well-producing fruit tree and grafting it onto the main stem of a seedling. This assures the new tree will also produce good fruit within three years. Fruit tree grafting was one of the main skills Elizabeth and Kantos taught people because it is a profitable way to earn income, August 2024.
Mrs. Jolie with one of her twins, August 2024.
Groupement des Femmes Bobognon
Group of Women of Bobognon
This was one of the first and most engaging groups Kantos and Elizabeth helped start in 1989. The group was seeking ways to generate income. They worked together on agricultural production, tree nursery production, and grafted fruit tree production, which they continue to this day. The two women sitting in the foreground are original members from when the group was formed, August 2024.
Dancing that occurred for almost an hour before the meeting, August 2024.
August 2024
As this was Elizabeth's first visit back in 34 years, the meetings took on a more formal tone, and both the group leader and Elizabeth prepared speeches. When Elizabeth and Kantos worked with these groups during Elizabeth's Peace Corps service, meetings were held in a circle to make them more participatory for every member, August 2024.
August 2024
Children observing the meeting from the door and window, August 2024.
Groupement des Hommes Producteurs
Group of Male Producers
Kantos and one of the members dancing to launch the meeting, August 2024.
This group of men plants trees to generate income, selling the timber, fruits, etc. The first step of the process is to protect seedlings, August 2024.
Elizabeth observes the field of more mature trees, August 2024.
Group members walking out to the newest field, August 2024.
Members listening during the meeting with Elizabeth and Kantos, August 2025.
Group picture, August 2024.
Groupement des Femmes de Houédogli
Group of Women of Houedogli
An additional way of greeting someone is to hold your hands to your heart, then extend your hands to the guest so the guest may receive the greeting, August 2025.
Elizabeth is pouring water to the ancestors as a sign of respect, August 2025.
A volunteer who followed Elizabeth helped this group build this library, giving girls in the area access to more educational resources August 2024.
Kantos poking good-natured fun at the group leaders in how she posed in a previous photo, August 2025.
August 2024
Three younger girls standing at the back, observing the meeting, August 2024.
Dog lounging, August 2024.
Groupement des Femmes de Tatahoué
Group of Women of Tatahoué
Little boy asleep on the floor during the ‘too-long’ meeting. This group specializes in small-scale livestock production, community health, and hygiene education to improve families and communities, August 2024.
August 2024
August 2024
August 2024
August 2024
Groupement des Hommes et Femmes de Djotto
Group of Women and Men of Djotto
Kantos (left), group leader's son (center), and group leader (right). The three stand in this year’s orange tree grove, discussing the process. They produce fruit trees to use themselves or to sell in the markets. They also produce soap for sale in the markets. August 2024.
Dancing after the meeting, August 2024
Two kinds of soap that the group produces, August 2024.
There are some areas, and within some families, where it is still customary for a woman to kneel when speaking to a man, August 2024.
August 2024
Maison du Dada
Home
Elizabeth Goodwin and Kodégnon Danké Victorin aka Kantos, seeing each other for the first time in 34 years, August 2024.
Archival photo taken by Elizabeth of Kantos with a Bobognon Women's Group member during a harvest, 1990.
Kantos is originally from Houedogli, he has been active in community engagment and development his whole life. He worked for Peace Corps throughout the years. Kantos currently continues his work with communities, August 2024.
Assogba Ségurelle Christiane aka Christiane, Kanto's wife. August 2024.
Kodégnon Mahougnon Claude Radovane aka Rado one of Kantos and Christiane twins (left), Christiane (middle) and Kodégnon Mahoussé Claudette Naîma aka Naima and twin to Rado (right), August 2024.
Dedavi Djougouna Vivi Euphrasie, aka Dada, is the mother of Elizabeth's host family, August 2024.
Elizabeth and Dada upon seeing each other for the first time in 34 years. Elizabeth often spoke about how they do not speak the same language and yet can communicate fully. I only understood this when Dada welcomed me into her home for the first time. Dada speaks the local language Adja, while my mother and I only speak French, August 2024.
Two of Dada's children, with whom my mother lived, now grown with familes of their own. Older sister Jero (left) and younger brother Assani (right) are looking at old photos my mother took and recalling the songs my mother taught them, August 2024.
My mother has sent her host family Christmas cards each year since her departure. They have saved all of them, August 2024.
A picture of my mother, another volunteer, and the children standing outside a museum in Abomey, one of the neighboring towns. This was one of the many outings they took together. (image in the photo from 1989) August 2024.
My mother and Jero (daughter to Dada) walking into Dada’s house for the first time in 34 years, August 2024.
Entrance of Dada’s house, August 2025.
Assanatou, the twin to Assani, cooking a dinner of noodles, sardines, and an egg, as that was a dish my mom ate frequently with the children, August 2024.
Fofo, the children's father, at the entrance of his home. Dada is one of Fofo’s several wives, and he was the mayor of the Klouékanmè when my mother lived there. According to Fofo his current age is "133 years old" August 2025.
An archival photo of Fofo taken by Elizabeth. He is sitting in front of a building on Dadas' compound in town that he used as his office while mayor. Fofo lives au village (in the village) outside of Klouékanmè with his other wives. According to customary law, Dada was given a home in town after giving birth to twins, who are revered, twice. 1998.
During our first visit, back when Fofo donned some of his traditional outfits, along with a baseball hat, August 2024.
Fabrics out to dry in Dada's compound, August 2024.
Dada walking into her house, August 2024.