Benin, West Africa, is a land rich in natural beauty, but it is sadly also one of the world’s poorest nations. More than half the adult population is illiterate, about half of children under 15 years old are already in full-time employment, and about 10% of girls will be married by the same age.

This shipment marks the third time that Crossroads has sent aid to our partners there. Over the past 25 years they have been diligently working to equip people in isolated regions with training and resources. This provides a saving from the unforgiving jaws of poverty. In turn, they can then help lift others up in the community.

Their director wrote:
“Thanks to the support of Crossroads Foundation, our NGO has experienced a real change in terms of its services and the quality of its work for the people it supports in Benin,” they wrote. “But more areas and populations are waiting to be reached and affected as well.”

This next container will contain computers and basic electrical appliances, furniture and equipment for schools, a children’s rescue centre and vocational training, as well as stationery kits, sporting goods, and basic needs such as clothing and home wares.

“I live in a very isolated community in Benin, where there has never been any computer training or even a photocopier available. The equipment we received from Crossroads has given new hope and opportunities to all the youth in this area!” – Moïse.
Since the previous two shipments to this partner, more than 12,000 people received computer skills training across 8 centres. 60 young people have even set up their own training or business centres.

Benin’s beautiful and fertile landscape holds great potential for its people. Sadly, low literacy and poor infrastructure make it difficult to break out of poverty.

In Benin, a simple stationery kit could cost an unskilled worker a month’s wages. The impact of these kits distributed from Crossroads’ previous shipment has therefore been enormous. Our partners plan to extend their literacy outreach program for children to another 5000 children over the coming 5 years.

This is Ms. Bébéchou. She works with 40 other local women to produce fresh fruit juices in an effort to provide for her family.

In the hot climate, they simply had no means to store the produce past one day. Not only did this limit the sales volume, but it was sad to see their efforts wasted.
One day, a fridge was sent in a shipment, and amazingly, it was the perfect match to their need.

Suddenly new life was breathed into the business and the ladies were delighted to see their business gain momentum.

Since governmental structures in Guinea finally stabilised about fifteen years ago, the country’s economy has gradually improved. However, refugees fleeing civil conflicts in neighbouring nations and the Covid-19 pandemic have caused major setbacks to the progress made. Another significant hindrance has been the traditional cultural attitudes that prevent many girls and women from obtaining general or vocational education.

We are now shipping to our partners there for the third time. They are working with local communities to provide healthcare and education in rural areas, train young people in practical and vocational skills, and run an orphanage that provides care and support. Alongside this, our partners also work directly with poor families to provide them with the resources they need to live safe and dignified lives.

This shipment is primarily devoted to improving infrastructure, made possible by generous donations of hospital beds and equipment, as well as school furniture and computers. We will, of course, also fill the spaces between larger items with toys to delight many children who previously played with nothing more than pebbles or tin cans!

“Our patients used to have to travel long distances for tests, but now we can perform the tests right in our hospital!” reported our partners. They had raised the funds to build a clinic in a rural area, but it was goods from a previous Crossroads shipment that equipped it with proper hospital beds and items such as ECG and ultrasound machines.

Below: The entrance to the clinic built by our partners. It was largely equipped from the contents of a previous Crossroads shipment. The current planned shipment will consist largely of hospital beds and equipment to be shared with other clinics and hospitals.

A typical rural classroom in west Africa. Consignees have reported that many more girls are permitted to attend schools where students have desks and chairs, because then they can be “modest.” This shipment will contain as much school furniture, equipment and stationery supplies we can fit around the medical equipment in the container.

In a country where child marriage is still common and education is not normally “wasted” on girls in rural areas, widows like Mama Elisabeth (above, with her four daughters) and orphans like Rougiatou (below) are extremely vulnerable to the worst kinds of exploitation. Crossroads’ partners have provided these and
many others with housing, education and vocational training, then helping them to start their own businesses.

Crossroads’ partner for this shipment originally began their work in a busy market town, aiming to provide support for widows, a safe space for women and girls who had suffered violence, health services for women, and training programmes to help vulnerable individuals gain financial independence and a degree of control over their own lives.

They mobilised women to support each other through small business cooperatives and social support networks, while also encouraging those who had benefited from their programmes to pass on their knowledge to others. However, years of violence between different language groups led to large numbers of internally displaced people (mostly women and children) arriving in their area. This was followed by Covid-19 lockdowns, which further stretched their already limited resources.

Our partner appealed to Crossroads for assistance in expanding their vocational training programmes and safe houses for victims of violence. This shipment will include computers and projectors, office and school furniture, toys, bicycles, and electrical appliances such as refrigerators, irons, food mixers, and sewing machines to support women in setting up their own small businesses.

Below: Alima (in green) was just 10 years old when she was seriously assaulted because her family belonged to the “wrong” side during the violence that has plagued her local area in recent years. Our partners provided her with accommodation in a safe house, as well as covering her medical bills and school fees. Three years later, her family was located, and she was able to reunite with them.

Gladys Lum (above, holding baby) was a traditional birthing attendant. Our partners sponsored her to receive formal training in midwifery and postnatal care. This significantly improved her success rate in delivering healthy babies and enabled mothers to recover more effectively after childbirth.

Before and after! Following years of civil strife, local services had fallen into disarray, leaving the local market resembling a rubbish dump. Our partners organised groups of volunteers to take on cleaning duties, resulting in a much safer and more hygienic environment. As a result, more businesses returned to the area, providing a boost to the local economy.

Above is a group of cassava farmers attending an agricultural training course run by our partners. They had previously been farming solely for their own families’ consumption, propagating each year’s new crop from the leftovers of the previous year, and were unaware of the importance of weeding or insect control.

The training covered topics such as companion planting (both for pest protection and to provide additional food crops) and soil conservation. The participants were also provided with seedlings of higher-yielding cassava plants to take home.

In the years that followed, average production per hectare increased by approximately 500%, enabling the farmers not only to feed their families but also to earn an income by selling the surplus.

While Israel is a developed nation with high literacy rates, there is a significant gap between rich and poor. The region’s most vulnerable—such as those with disabilities, single-parent families, the large number of new immigrants, the elderly, and people injured through terrorism and conflict—often struggle to afford basic necessities.

Our partners in Israel are acutely aware of the needs around them and have, for many years, been supplying humanitarian aid stations across Israel with essential goods. The projects they support include assistance for new immigrants, the homeless, unemployed people, Holocaust survivor centres, Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation initiatives, and facilities for the disabled.

Crossroads’ previous shipment to this group enabled them to assist more than 30,000 people—mostly children—by providing new clothes. As the director said: “Impoverished children haven’t done anything to deserve poverty, and usually their parents haven’t either… they’ve simply fallen into unforeseen circumstances.”

The goods in this shipment are particularly focused on assisting refugees and other new arrivals to set up their new homes.

Like Crossroads Foundation, our partner group relies largely on volunteers for driving, unloading and distribution of goods. They have developed a system by which they can deliver and unload an entire 40-foot container of goods at up to 6 distribution centres throughout the country in under 24 hours!

Homeless men enter a “free café” sponsored by our partner. Single men are particularly vulnerable because they are low priority to receive accommodation assistance.

There has been a large number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Israel since the beginning of hostilities in their country. Our partners have provided thousands of them with clothing, household goods and food packages to help them get established in their new homes.

Following Crossroads’ first shipment to this partner, the director reported: “When you dress a child in new clothes, it helps their self-esteem and confidence when everything else in their life is going wrong.” When shoes were distributed in one town, she said: “I can’t even express how happy they were, how they even hugged their shoes. Some have never received a gift like this in their entire life. One boy even kissed his shoes and wanted to keep them under his pillow!” This shipment will include many more clothes, as well as basic household furniture, to assist new arrivals in setting up their homes

In late 2023, Crossroads sent a shipment to an organisation in Uganda which is supported by a partner here in Hong Kong. This was a real encouragement and help for the people in an area where it is a struggle to keep up with the demand for educational opportunities at all levels. From basic infrastructure like classrooms and toilet blocks to furniture and textbooks to computers and vocational training equipment, the needs are very evident.

For many families, parents simply cannot afford to send their children to school at all—any funds which come in are needed for food and not available for school uniforms or stationery, basic requirements for children to go to school. It can even be the case that the children need to be at home to collect firewood and water. This is where our partner steps in, helping families to get their children educated. As they said to us, “A substantial portion of the population, particularly children, face barriers to accessing quality education. With nearly 50% of children not completing primary school, families often prioritize immediate economic needs over educational pursuits. This lack of education perpetuates the cycle of poverty, as individuals without education have limited job opportunities and earning potential.”

Like the contents of the last shipment, many of the goods target children and are education-related, helping poorer children to be motivated and able to stay at school, transforming their own lives and the lives of their families and communities. But plans are well underway for a health centre, and job creation and training for young people, and the shipment will also contain computers and equipment to aid with these plans.

Below: Stationery and school bags were happily received at a distribution event at school. More of this will be arriving for the next pupils.

Rebecca and her mother live in one room of this building and life is hard. Cooking food is a challenge in this basic kitchen. But with help from this project, Rebecca can go to school and look forward to a better future.

Basic equipment like hospital beds, chairs and bedding are so welcome when you have very little. The project aims to provide more health facilities and job training with help from Crossroads.

This is Robert, who has been able to continue at school thanks to support from our partner organisation. He shares a bedroom with his mother, but at least he has the means now to attend school.

Another child has dressed up smartly to receive items from the last shipment – school bags, stationery and bedding for him, and a few household items for his family.

The small nation of Cabo Verde often finds itself “squeezed” by larger geopolitical forces and events. With limited natural resources, its people have historically relied on subsistence farming and fishing to survive. Advances in medical care improved infant survival rates, but this stretched the country’s already limited resources. As a result, many men—and later, women—migrated overseas for work, supporting their families through remittances. However, this created new challenges, including strain on family relationships and children being pulled from school to help grandparents maintain family plots. Now, with many countries closing their doors to foreign labor, able-bodied workers are returning to a homeland with few economic opportunities.

While the government is actively working to transition Cabo Verde’s economy toward tourism, this transformation will take time. In the interim, Crossroads’ partner organization is stepping in to bridge the gap. The group focuses on preparing the younger generation through education and providing access to health and psychological care, ensuring they can take full advantage of future opportunities. Additionally, the NGO is working to retrain returning workers and replace outdated equipment in hospitals and schools.

This shipment will include a wide range of essential items, such as medical supplies and equipment, kitchen appliances for vocational training, school and office furniture, stationery kits, bed linens, footwear, bicycles, and computer equipment. And, of course, many toys will be included to brighten classrooms and bring joy to children’s lives.

Despite the small size of Cabo Verde’s islands, poor infrastructure and a lack of awareness about the importance of education in traditional farming communities mean that many children do not attend school. For families with limited income, expenses such as stationery, shoes, and transportation are often seen as unnecessary luxuries.

Crossroads’ partner organization has launched a campaign to address this issue by educating rural communities about the benefits of formal education and providing essential items to “left behind” children, such as lunchboxes, books, and bookbags.

Additionally, the organization has supplied modern learning materials to local schools, which has contributed to a significant increase in enrollment— approximately 500 more children registered for the new school year.

One of our partner’s key initiatives is the “Spreading Smiles” project, which provides medical care for underprivileged children while also organizing social events, counseling, and professional career coaching.

Crossroads’ shipment will include items such as sports equipment and musical instruments, enabling the expansion of this project into more communities.

Sinking boreholes and making use of the volcanic ash from Fogo Island (an active volcano in Cabo Verde) is helping to return previously depleted agricultural land to productivity in a sustainable manner.

A view of Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde

The Gambia is one of Africa’s smallest and poorest nations. In rural areas, nearly 70% of the population lives in poverty. Furthermore, only 42% of The Gambia’s adult population is literate, and poor access to education continues to hinder development efforts. Extreme weather events are also becoming increasingly common.

Crossroads has sent two shipments to our partner in The Gambia, in 2016 and 2021, to support organisations involved in community development projects in rural areas. The goods included in these shipments ranged from computers, school furniture, and medical equipment to clothing and household supplies. These items were distributed to health centres, schools, and families impacted by flooding.

The next shipment will include similar items, such as computers, medical equipment, and school furniture, along with additional goods for children, including clothing, toys, and strollers.

The staff remain deeply grateful for the vital support provided by these shipments. We are pleased to send another shipment to help our partners continue and expand their work.

This photo is from a newspaper reporting on storm damage:

“A deadly windstorm Wednesday night left nine people dead… The destructive wind, estimated to be traveling at a speed of 85 km per hour, was the worst windstorm in five years.” A national official stated, “It is the poor and vulnerable who bear the brunt of the death and destruction.”

Our partner shared that many victims of natural disasters were able to get back on their feet thanks to donated items, such as clothes, shoes, television sets, refrigerators, and other essentials, which helped replace what they had lost.

The goods included in this shipment will consist of household items, as well as computers, refrigerators, books, toys for children, and some medical and nursing equipment

A donation of clothes can lift spirits and be of practical use in the wake of disasters.

A comment from the last shipment: “Another impact was the donation of clothes and toys for newborn babies. These items were new and most parents here cannot afford new items for their children due to the vicious cycle of poverty. The parents were overjoyed and would always remember this anytime their children wore the clothes.”

Loading hospital beds into the last container was hard work, as always. But they are much appreciated, as our partner said – “The main achievements with the two shipments have definitely been in the areas of equipping affected health centres and rural schools… Most of these health centres had not enough beds for patients as most are asked to lie on the floor. We were able to provide hospital beds to equip the rural health centres after their renovations.”
 

Since the conflict in Ukraine began, towns and villages in the west of the country find themselves hosting large numbers of internally displaced people – mostly the elderly, women and children – in whatever rooms they can find. Spare classrooms, barns and clinic waiting rooms are all pressed into service in communities which scarcely have enough resources for their own people. 

Crossroads’ Ukrainian partner has, for many years, been working to bridge the gap between rapidly developing cities and rural communities that are among the poorest in Europe. In the past, we sent multiple shipments of items including hospital beds and equipment, school furniture, computers and electrical appliances that have been much used and well cared for. Now the need is even greater as much of the population has fled because of the war, heading for safer parts of Ukraine or over the border to Poland. 

This will be the tenth shipment to our partners, sending more furniture, bedding, clothes, and toys to benefit the many displaced people now sharing the space of those already fighting poverty. 

Providing warmth is an essential aim of anyone helping displaced people, and residents are shown here with items from the previous shipment.

Toys mean the world to children who have been torn from their homes, as families are unable to bring more than one or two suitcases with them. Creative play helps them adapt.
This shipment will contain many more toys and household necessities to help villages with few resources host their countrymen who have escaped from war-torn areas, as well as some medical equipment and furniture.

Older residents often find themselves confused and in need of help as they have been forced to flee from their lifelong homes and find safe shelter.