The Guest House of the Beninese Red Cross: A Solidarity-Based Accommodation Serving Humanitarian Action

The Guest House of the Beninese Red Cross is an accommodation solution in Porto Novo designed to host volunteers, travelers, and visiting partners in a comfortable and secure setting. In addition to meeting the growing need for accessible lodging, this project plays a key role in ensuring the sustainability of the Red Cross’s humanitarian actions by generating independent revenue. These funds help cover the organization’s basic costs and finance local initiatives, thereby strengthening its financial autonomy.

The Guest House of the Beninese Red Cross was created to address the growing need for accessible accommodation for volunteers, partners, and visiting guests. For many years, the Red Cross had already provided lodging within its premises, allowing it to host participants attending training sessions or events in Porto-Novo. However, with the expansion of activities and the increase in staff, these spaces were gradually converted into offices, reducing the available accommodation capacity.

Faced with this situation, the Red Cross had to find alternative solutions to house its volunteers, particularly during first aid training sessions, which bring together dozens of participants. As hotel accommodation proved costly and often insufficient to meet demand, the idea emerged to rehabilitate a building donated to the organization several years ago. This initiative aims not only to address the shortage of lodging but also to generate revenue to support the humanitarian actions of the Beninese Red Cross.

The project is part of a broader strategy to sustain the Red Cross’s activities by providing a quality service while ensuring an additional source of funding. Its success quickly demonstrated the need to expand this initiative to other cities, such as Parakou, Natitingou, and Abomey, where the demand for affordable accommodation remains significant.

The Guest House of the Beninese Red Cross operates as a standard accommodation service, offering well-equipped and comfortable rooms for volunteers and visiting guests. Currently, reservations can only be made in person or by phone through the Income-Generating Activities (IGA) department of the Beninese Red Cross. Operational management is overseen by the Coordinator, with the involvement of the IGA Assistant and the logistics team, who ensure the reception of guests and the maintenance of the facilities.

The Guest House currently consists of three distinct spaces, including rooms with living areas, a fully equipped kitchen, and private bathrooms. Each accommodation is designed to provide a comfortable and functional experience, allowing visitors to stay in a secure and welcoming environment. A small but efficient team, including a logistics officer, a security guard, and maintenance staff, ensures the daily operations, cleanliness, and upkeep of the premises.

All revenue generated by the Guest House is directly reinvested into the accounts of the Beninese Red Cross to support its various humanitarian missions. The goal is to ensure financial self-sufficiency while developing a high-quality lodging service to meet the growing needs of the organization’s volunteers and partners.

Although the project is still in its structuring phase, improvements are planned, including the digitalization of the reservation system and the expansion of infrastructure to increase accommodation capacity. The Beninese Red Cross also aims to open this lodging service to the general public to optimize its impact.

Since its launch, the Guest House of the Beninese Red Cross has hosted more than 80 visitors, generating revenue that helps finance the salaries of the coordination team and ensure the project’s operations. It currently contributes to covering approximately 3% of the Beninese Red Cross’s basic costs, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable income-generating activity.

One of the key economic advantages of the Guest House is its affordability—about half the price of nearby hotels—making accommodation more accessible for volunteers and visitors. Once it opens to the general public in 2025, this initiative will have a direct impact on the local population by offering an affordable and high-quality alternative for families and travelers passing through.

Beyond its economic role, the project also holds significant potential for job creation. Expanding accommodation capacity will require hiring additional staff for management, maintenance, and guest services. Currently, the operational team consists of two employees, supported by maintenance staff and a volunteer security guard. As demand increases, the need for qualified personnel will grow, fostering local job creation and enhancing the project’s social impact.

With its initial success, the Beninese Red Cross aims to expand this model to other regions of the country, particularly Parakou, Natitingou, and Abomey, where the need for affordable accommodation remains significant. The Guest House stands out as an innovative solution, combining social impact and financial autonomy while strengthening the Beninese Red Cross’s humanitarian capacity.