Cute Project toward the new mission in Benin

For over ten years, Cute Project Onlus has been bringing medical expertise and solidarity to Africa, working to improve healthcare and medical training in vulnerable countries. From November 26 to December 7, 2025, a multidisciplinary team will leave for Benin, heading to the Saint Padre Pio Hospital in N’Dali, in the northern part of the country, to treat burn injuries and carry out a structured healthcare training program.

The hospital, built by the Merano Missionary Group, is a fundamental medical facility in a rural area among the poorest in the region. Over the years, it has become a reference point not only for local communities but also for patients coming from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Togo—countries where access to specialized care is often limited.

Cute Project returns to N’Dali for care, training, and prevention

From 2014 to today, Cute Project has treated 519 patients, mostly children suffering from severe burn sequelae, malformations, or trauma. Burns are one of the main medical emergencies in Benin: cooking on the ground, open fires, boiling pots, and kerosene lanterns create an extremely high-risk environment for young children.
To these conditions, one must add the limited availability of specialized healthcare facilities, resulting in many injuries being treated late or inadequately.

Early intervention and training of local staff are essential not only to treat patients but also to build a sustainable model of prevention and care management.

The 2025 mission: therapeutic goals

The new mission will last 12 days and will be carried out by a team composed of 2 surgeons, 1 anesthesiologist, 2 nurses, and 1 general practitioner. The goal is to perform procedures on acute burns and disabling contracture scars in both adult and pediatric patients.

Thanks to the communication and awareness-raising activities promoted by the hospital and the local diocese, at least 90 patients are expected to be examined and treated. Cute Project will bring surgical instruments, monitors, a dermatome, medications, and medical devices. Part of the equipment will remain at the N’Dali Hospital to ensure continuity of care after the team’s departure.

Training at the core of healthcare cooperation

One of the most significant aspects of the mission is the training of Beninese healthcare personnel. Activities will include both theoretical and practical sessions, taking place in the operating room, in the wards, and during outpatient wound care.

In many cases, when surgical intervention is not possible, patients will be managed with medical therapies, physiotherapy, and follow-up programs entrusted directly to the local teams.
This approach is a key feature of Cute Project’s model, which aims to leave behind real and lasting skills, fostering the professional autonomy of local healthcare workers.

Toward the “Germana Erba Center” for skin care

The 2025 mission also represents a significant step toward the creation of the permanent “Germana Erba Center” for skin care, which will include an operating room dedicated to reconstructive plastic surgery and specialized equipment.

The project’s goal is to establish long-term advanced expertise in the region and ensure continuous care for burn patients, reducing the reliance on periodic missions.
The center will be supported by donations and by the contribution of the Italian 5×1000 tax donation, a fundamental resource to make a stable and structured intervention possible.

5×1000: 97778830014

Donations: IBAN IT72R0200801160000103214895