Friends of Benin was established in 1999 by returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in the Republic of Benin. Our mission is to maintain communications between Friends of Benin (FOB)  members, keep the Peace Corps/Benin experience alive, sustain our commitment to international service, encourage members to share their experiences with their own communities,  support the Peace Corps mission in Benin, support recently returned volunteers as well as volunteers who are about to leave for Benin, and distribute news and information about Benin.  

See the complete Mission Statement / Strategies

Become an FOB Member:  

Join FOB and get the Deadbeat newsletter published at least twice a year and support the group.   You can pay using Pay Pal below or mail in a membership form.  See the Membership page for more information.  We look forward to your involvement!  

Other Pages:

Membership

 PCV Q &A Forum  (196 Entries as of 5/27/07)

 RPCV Contact List & Bios

 Guest Book 

 Classifieds 

Benin News and Information 

Benin / RPCV Links

 Photo Gallery 

 Newsletter Archives 

Fob Bylaws

Maps of Benin

Mission / Strategies

Website News Archives

PCV Memorabilia 

Help Fund a Current Peace Corps Benin Volunteer Project

Click on Chris Robbins' fantastic Benin Montage for a larger version.

FOB NEWS:

Added 3/2/08

FOB has new leadership and is in the process of re-establishing contact with it's past and present membership by starting to publish the Deadbeat Newsletter by mail again.  We will be sending a complimentary copy and we are asking past and present members to renew their membership which is  $15 annually.  You can pay using Pay Pal below or by mail.  See the Membership page for more information.  We look forward to your involvement.   

 Added 8/11/07

Peace Corps Benin's 40th Anniversary Celebration- Sept. 2008 in Benin 

This is a letter that the CD of PC Benin asked me to circulate among Benin RPCVs. Basically, PC Benin is planning a 40th anniversary celebration in September of 2008 and they are looking for some info about RPCVs.

Added 7/31/07

Some Sad News about a Benin RPCV: 

DAIL, JAMES RUSSELL ''RUSTY''
From the New York Times-where he was supposedly living (although we thought it was in Paris)

Published: May 17, 2007
DAIL--James Russell ''Rusty'', 33, of Manhattan, formerly of Lovettsville,
VA, died Friday, May 4, after a long battle with melanoma. Rusty is
survived by his parents, Margaret Armstrong, of Waterford, VA, and James R. Dail, of Diamond Head, MS; his partner, Zengyan ''Yen'' Feng, of Manhattan; his  paternal grandmother, Marie Dail, of Alexandria, VA; and numerous family  and  friends. Rusty graduated from Loudoun County High School in 1992. He spent  his sophomore year of high school in the Orkney Islands, Scotland and his  senior year in Kassel, Germany. Rusty held a B.S. in Systems Engineering  from the University of Virginia (1996) and an M.B.A. from the Harvard  Business School (2002). Rusty traveled to over 50 countries, and lived in  seven. He spoke six languages. After graduating from college, Rusty spent  a  year in the Peace Corps in West Africa, teaching mathematics. In 2002,  after  receiving his MBA, he moved to Seoul, Korea, where he worked as a Global  Strategic Consultant for Samsung Electronics. A memorial service will be  held Saturday at 11am, at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, 980 Park  Avenue, with reception following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests  that donations be sent to Rusty's chosen charity, the Children's Cancer  Research Fund.

Added 6/10/07

Added 5/27/07

Congratulations to our new officers!  With the infusion of new blood and enthusiasm FOB will surely improve.  The election results are in and all candidates who ran were unanimously elected.  See below for their names.   They will hold their positions for two years.  

FOB Board Members:

Elections will be held again in May 2009.  Click on title for job a description from the bylaws if you are interested in running for a position in the future or if you  would like to know what each board member's duties are.

Click Here to read board member bios and acceptance Speeches.

President: Raimi Bello

Vice President:  Jessica Duke

Sec./Treasurer/  Beth Whelan

Newsletter Editor:  Tyson Roberts

Webmaster- Chris Starace

Membership Coordinator  

Emily Bello

Newsletter Graphic Designer:     Vacant 

Send submissions to the Deadbeat Newsletter to: 

Tyson Roberts 

Contact the Webmaster:

Chris Starace at cstarace@yahoo.com if you have any questions, concerns or comments.  E-mail me photos in .jpeg format and any content or ideas you have for the website.  I will greatly appreciate any help I can get!