In the first half of 2019, the Beninese Office for Youth Voluntary Services (Office Béninois des Services de Volontariat des Jeunes, OBSVJ) began to record the voluntary service institutions in Benin as part of its efforts to promote quality.
The next step for the Beninese network is to create a qualification system for organisations active in Benin in the field of voluntary services and international exchange programmes. For this purpose the OBSVJ organised a workshop together with the GIZ, which took place from 26 to 27 June 2019 in Bohicon, Benin.
The around 80 participants of the event focussed primarily on the analysis of reporting. Building on this, the participants discussed the possibility of setting up a quality management system that could improve the dissemination of data and the work of the voluntary service organisations.
Furthermore, the establishment of a national platform for voluntary service organisations was considered and ideas were discussed. The discussion was based on the presentations from the individual working groups of the workshop. The results of the working groups were jointly reflected upon and explored in greater depth.
The cooperation in the workshop resulted in the decisions to establish a national platform and to award the organisations active in voluntary service and international exchange with a quality seal for civil society organisations recognised in Benin.
