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Qui DIt Mieux
BENIN
Qui Dit Mieux was started by Mrs. Grace Dotou, a retired headmistress who wanted to do something to reduce the number of plastic trash bags strewn around her town. It took her six months to come up with a prototype that she was happy with, but now she and 20 other women are busy crocheting post consumer plastic trash bags into colorful handbags, dolls, placemats and scarves. They have workshops in 16 different counties within the country, and have been invited by NGO’s in other West African countries to teach the process as well.
In 2002, Mrs. Dotou won a Poverty Eradication Award from the UNDP for raising environmental awareness while helping giving the women a skill to earn money. While Qui Dit Mieux does have several small export customers that sought them out after winning the award, they are still searching for a sustainable market. The dream is to have a steady market that would enable them to set up their own recycling center and increase awareness about saving their environment.
Profile Of Benin
 Benin, a country in West Africa, is slightly smaller then the state of Pennsylvania. It is located between Togo to the west and Nigeria to the east.
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore Soglo as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. The official language of Benin is French.
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