Blogs of Currently Serving Benin Peace Corps Volunteers :

• Erika Kraus's Blog  (posted on Peace Corps's official website)

Personal Websites of Volunteers Currently in Benin)- That's right!- internet is so prevalent in Benin now that volunteers who are currently there are able to make their own websites.  

• Lost in Benin-  created by Lyle Kozloff.  I love this site!  He's a computer engineer by profession and he's in as an ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) volunteer training the Beninese on computer skills so naturally he's put a fine site together.  He has a blog, some information about himself, photo galleries, and a hilarious section called "learn" where he has some very interesting and entertaining photo essays.  I loved the a-z review of the entire Fan Milk product line (which by the way has been expanded quite a bit over the last few years).  I also loved his detailed description of how to make "hobo wine" using sugar, water, a washed out condom and a bottle.    

He has also put up a very detailed packing list for the PSL 19 (pre-service learning group #19) who will arrive in June.  He also has described in minute detail what volunteers will experience from staging in the US all the way through their beginning at their new posts.   (This review was posted 5/26/06)

 Benin RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) Websites:

• Fon is Fun- a website by Chris Starace (FOB Webmaster, SBD Allada 95-97)  It is a website dedicated to sharing my experiences as a PCV.  The site teaches how to speak Fon.  The site also contains my stories, pictures, Benin related books, music, links, recipes, discussions and more.
• http://www.mightyoak.us/ - Roby Greenwald's fine art photography site.
• http://www.grographics.com - Christopher Robbins's graphic design site. 
• Home from Africa by Jenafir ??? (RCD 97-99 near Allada)-  this is a 32 min. radio documentary on her experiences and readjustment experience.  I was blown away at how much it made me miss Benin and resonated with everything I felt about being there as well as the readjustment process.  
• www.Zemidjan.org Angela Ratkowski, 2002-2004, Parakou  "I hope to fill these pages with some of the joy that being in Benin brought to me....The people I met and experiences I had there had a profound impact on me.  I hope this site will help me and other volunteers I served with feel a little closer to a place that is now so far away."  
  

Travel to Benin:  

 When we were PCV's all we had to do was pack and PC took care of all the rest.  If you are planning a trip back to Benin you will be surprised at how much work it is to arrange air tickets, vaccinations, anti-malarial prophylaxis, getting your visa, travel insurance, hotel reservations, etc.  The following sites should help:

• www.benintourisme.com The first official Benin tourism website created by Sybil Chidiac, and four other volunteers. She was a  Small Business Advisor, Porto Novo '00-'02)

Benin in the Media:

• NPR: Voodoo and West Africa's Spiritual Life: Discovering the Roots of Religion on the 'Slave Coast'  This is very well done documentary in thee parts.  You can listen to it online and there is a lot of additional information on their web page as well.
  

Benin Related Groups on the Web:

• Peace Corps (Official Web Site)
• Peace Corps.gov 's list of other "Friends of" groups
• NPCA-(National Peace Corps Association)
• University of Laval's Benin List Server- This is a very active list server comprised of about 250 people.   Most are Beninese expatriates living in Africa, Europe, US, and, Canada.  Most messages are in French and topics are frequently about current events in and issues relating to Beninese expatriates.  I find it quite interesting.  I subscribe to the digest which sends me all the messages posted for the day as attachments in one message. 

Charities that Serve Benin:

• Better Africa Foundation (BEF):  www.betterafrica.org .
• http://www.benineducationfund.org - The Benin Education Fund, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in 1998 that provides children in rural West Africa the opportunity to attend school.  We have several Benin RPCV's involved in our activities already, so I’m hoping the FOB members also would be interested in our work, too.  Read their Fall 2005 Newsletter.

General Benin related Links:

• Weather- Cotonou and Porto Novo (Weather.com)
• Musee d'Abomey Website
• General Information (from Lonely Planet)