Cotonou is a rapidly growing urban centre where many children and young people live or work in the streets, often facing persistent challenges related to access to education, protection, and social inclusion. Estimates suggest that several thousand children are currently in street situations in and around the city, highlighting the scale and urgency of this reality. Responding to this complex reality requires outreach-based approaches that are both flexible and relevant. Over the course of a five-day kick-off training, the Terres Rouges street work team explored how the playful, interactive Flagbag materials can support meaningful educational encounters with children and young people, both in public spaces and in more protected environments.

Reinforcing educational outreach

The StreetSmart Flagbag is a flexible, activity-based educational tool designed to support street educators in engaging children and young people in informal contexts. During the launch training, the Flagbag was introduced as a practical way to create moments of dialogue, participation, and learning, whether in group activities or individual guidance. Its visual and interactive nature makes it particularly suitable for the work of the Terres Rouges street team, strengthening their existing efforts to build trust-based relationships with children and young people on the streets.

Terres Rouges

Terres Rouges is an organisation committed to supporting children and young people in street situations in Cotonou and other regions of Benin. Through structured outreach work, prevention activities, and social accompaniment, the organisation seeks to create opportunities for a highly vulnerable target group. The partnership with StreetSmart builds on this strong local presence and shared focus on education, participation, and long-term inclusion.

The Flagbag is primarily used with children and young people who live or work in the streets of Cotonou. This group often experiences limited access to education and protection and is exposed to multiple forms of vulnerability. At the same time, the methodology also shows potential for use in more stable settings within Terres Rouges’ programmes, such as residential contexts and prevention-oriented projects, where structured yet participatory educational activities are equally relevant.

From the training room to the streets

During the kick-off training, the workshops moved quickly from theory to practice. Two field sessions were organised to test the Flagbag materials in real street contexts: one at Dantokpa Market, engaging around 30 young people, and another at Erewan Beach with approximately 25 participants. These sessions demonstrated strong engagement from both educators and young people and confirmed the practical value of the tools.

As one participant noted, “I was able to test the tool directly with young people at the beach. It felt very intuitive, and I believe it can become a real success going forward.”

Based on these experiences, the Terres Rouges outreach team plans to use the Flagbag regularly as part of its street work, with a minimum frequency of twice per week. In addition, there is clear interest in exploring how the Flagbag can also be used in other programmes, including the prevention project in So-Ava, residential settings, and safe spaces such as the dortoir des filles. These possibilities will be explored further in consultation with the organisation’s management, with a focus onqualitative and sustainable use.

What’s next?

The launch of the StreetSmart Flagbag in Cotonou marks the beginning of a longer-term collaboration with Terres Rouges. In the coming months, the priority will be to anchor the regular use of the Flagbag within the outreach team, while gradually exploring its application in additional programmes and locations. As the first Flagbag initiative in Benin, this pilot phase highlights strong potential for impact and lays a solid foundation for future partnerships in Benin and across the West African region.

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