The association Quartier Ouest, through its program Just a Kid From Africa, presents its new project: Frenchies Love Cotonou.
This project aims to organize a solidarity trip to Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, from Sunday, ocotober 18 to Monday, november 9, 2026.
On the agenda: distribution of sports and recreational equipment, meetings with children in orphanages, and basketball training camps.
This trip will also be an opportunity to experience the Congolese edition of the Quartier Ouest tournament, taking place in Kinshasa from Friday, october 30 to Sunday, november 1, 2026, as well as to explore some of the most iconic sites of Kinshasa and DR Congo.
WHO ARE WE?
Based in Normandy, the association Quartier Ouest has been active for over 15 years and is now considered a reference in France for organizing basketball-related sports events. These include youth training camps, solidarity missions, and tournaments — the most famous being the Quartier Ouest Tournament. This event brings together professional and amateur players from all over France, Europe, North America, and even Japan. Notably, French international and NBA player Nicolas Batum of the L.A. Clippers has taken part.
The Just A Kid From Africa program is an eco-citizen initiative launched by the French association Quartier Ouest.
A donation for Haiti, in partnership with the association Accueil et Partage:
Two containers of essential goods were sent to the capital, Port-au-Prince, following the devastating earthquake that struck the island in 2010.
Sports and educational supplies sent to multiple destinations:
- 2015: Rabat 🇲🇦 (Morocco)
- 2015: Togo 🇹🇬, via the association FiveHearts
- 2016: Donations to a church in Alexandria 🇪🇬 (Egypt), which has been welcoming Sudanese refugees for over 30 years
- 2017: Abidjan 🇨🇮 (Ivory Coast)
- 2009, 2019, and since 2021: Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩
- Since 2016: Annual shipments to Cameroon 🇨🇲
- 2022: Brazzaville 🇨🇬 (Congo)
- 2022: Gorée Island 🇸🇳 (Senegal), via the association Nio Far
- 2022 & 2024: Cotonou and Porto-Novo 🇧🇯 (Benin)
In the DRC 🇨🇩, we have also helped fund school fees for students and high schoolers in Kinshasa.
We supported Christmas events for children in Pakadjuma and in orphanages.
On the sports side, we backed several basketball tournaments and academies by providing equipment and logistical support.
We’ve also organized training camps and youth meetups to promote exchange, learning, and the growth of local basketball.
In partnership with the Heart of L.A Foundation 🇺🇸, we donated tickets to allow youth from underprivileged neighborhoods in Los Angeles to attend NBA games and even play on the Staples Center court.
In France 🇫🇷, through various partnerships, we’ve helped people in need — notably migrants in the Ouistreham area — by distributing over a hundred heated blankets.
For more information about the Just A Kid From Africa project, just click here.
