VISITING HOURS. Visitors are welcome to take a WELCOME guided tour of the branch office facilities. Tours are available Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., TO THE 2:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. BENIN The Calavi Assembly Hall is adjacent to the branch complex. Circuit assemblies and regional conventions in BRANCH OFFICE English, Ewe, French, and Gun are regularly held there. OF The dates of all assemblies and conventions are posted on www.jw.org. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

HISTORY. The first branch office in Benin (formerly Dahomey) was established in March 1966. Three years later an office and missionary home was dedicated in . However, the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned in Benin in 1976, and in Togo in 1978. The bans were lifted in the early 1990’s. The branch in Benin was reopened, and in 1993 a branch was established in Lomé´ , Togo. Soon a new branch was planned in Benin, and the construction began in 1997. The buildings were ded- icated on January 1, 2000. The complex consists of the office and services building, a warehouse, three resi- dences, a powerhouse, a shed for water storage, and a gatehouse. WELCOME! IT IS a pleasure to welcome you to the On March 1, 2011, the Benin and Togo branches were merged, and on May 1, 2011, the work in Burkina Faso Benin branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We hope that ´ your visit will be a pleasant one. Our branch complex came under the Benin branch. The facilities in Lomé were is called Bethel, meaning “House of God.” (Genesis 28: sold, and the country office in Ouagadougou, Burkina 19, footnote) This Biblical name is fitting because all Faso, became a Remote Translation Office. The history those who serve here are ordained ministers, dedicated of the work in Benin appeared in the 1997 Yearbook and in the brochure Jehovah’s Witnesses in Benin—Enjoying the Free- to Jehovah God. They devote themselves full-time to sup- ˇ porting the work of Kingdom preaching. dom That God Gives, published in the Gun language. In over 230 lands, some eight million Witnesses of Je- hovah are carrying out the commission that Jesus gave his followers—to preach the good news of God’s King- dom. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) To organize this work, branch offices have been established worldwide—all serv- ing under the direction of the Governing Body of Jeho- vah’s Witnesses. The Benin branch coordinates the ac- tivities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo.

˘ 2014 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania fo-E Be BETHEL HOME

Those serving at Bethel can truly be called a family be- cause of their unity in serving their heavenly Father, Jehovah God. As a family they work together, enjoy meals together, and study the Bible together. All are furnished with room and board and a small monthly allow- ance to assist with their personal ex- penses. A number of necessary tasks are performed at Bethel. For exam- ple, some serve in the kitchen, where they prepare nutritious meals that are served in our comfortable dining room. Thus, the family benefits from a well-balanced diet in a wholesome environment. BIBLE INSTRUCTION Other members do cleaning, housekeeping, laundry, and sewing. Each workday morning the Bethel family meets for These assignments contribute to the morning worship, which begins with a prayer followed by family’s high standard of cleanli- the consideration of a Bible text using the booklet Exam- ness, which is a hallmark of Bethel ining the Scriptures Daily. A chairman presides over this homes throughout the world. ˇ 15-minute discussion, and members of the family are as- signed to comment on the text. After the discussion, breakfast is served. On Monday evenings, the entire Bethel family gathers to study the Bible with the help of The Watchtower. At times, there are special programs after the Watchtower Study. These Bible discussions each workday and on Monday evenings are an important part of Bethel life. The Remote Translation Offices in Burkina Faso and Togo are tied in by telephone connection for some of these pro- grams. New arrivals attend the Bethel Entrants’ School and are assigned to read the entire Bible during their first year. Each member of the family also makes time for personal Bible study. The Bethel library con- tains the publications of Jehovah’s Wit- nesses and other reference works, and the family may use it for personal study and meeting preparation. Bethel family members also have a personal share in King- dom preaching. They are assigned to various nearby congregations in several languages, includ- ing American Sign Language. Many in the family serve as el- ders and ministerial servants. ˇ RECORDING STUDIO OFFICES

BRANCH COMMITTEE. Under the direction of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Branch Committee for the Benin branch organizes the preaching and teaching work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo. Some 48,000,000 people in- habit this vast territory of over 1,710,000 square ki- lometers, an area larger than France, Germany, Italy, and Spain combined. The Branch Committee main- tains close contact with the missionaries as well as the Remote Translation Offices in Abomey, Benin; Kara, Togo; Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, HOSPITAL INFORMATION DESK. This desk pro- Burkina Faso. vides the Hospital Liaison Committees in all the territo- ries under the Benin branch with the latest information on bloodless medical procedures. In turn, elders serving RECORDING STUDIO. Sound tracks for Bible on these committees make the information available to dramas and other audio materials are recorded in doctors who are willing to treat their Witness patients this studio in a number of local languages. Simi- without the use of blood. lar studios have been installed in the Remote COMPUTER DEPARTMENT. KINGDOM HALL DESK. The Kingdom Hall Much of the work at Translation Offices in Kara, Togo and in Ouaga- Bethel and in the Remote Translation Offices is accom- Desk coordinates the design and construction of NIGER dougou, Burkina Faso. Kingdom Halls. More than 250 Kingdom Halls have plished with the help of computers. This department in- been constructed in recent years. Some, such as at stalls and maintains the ´ computer systems and MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. The Main- Savé, Benin, are designed to be used for large gath- Ouagadougou erings. The rear wall opens to a roofed area that pro- provides training to pro- tenance Department cares for the mechanical, BURKINA FASO electrical, and other needs of the branch facilities. vides enough seating for assemblies. The Kingdom BENIN gram users. The brothers Kara in the department also A water treatment plant provides safe drinking Hall Desk also had a major role in constructing the Bobo- Dioulasso Abomey provide computer sup- water for the family. Two back-up generators and Assembly Halls at Calavi and Porto-Novo in Benin TOGO Abomey-Calavi as well as Lomé´ , Togo. port for other branches in a 103-meter-deep borehole ensure that electricity West and Central Africa. and water are always available. To protect the en- vironment, wastewater is treated before being dis- BENIN BRANCH * BRANCH TERRITORY ˝ charged. REMOTE TRANSLA*TION OFFICES

KINGDOM HALL DESK SERVICE DEPARTMENT TRANSLATION DEPARTMENT SHIPPING DEPARTMENT COMPOSITION

SERVICE DEPARTMENT. This department handles SHIPPING DEPARTMENT. Literature requests TRANSLATION DEPARTMENT. French is the official WRITING DESK. Under the supervision of the Gov- correspondence from traveling overseers, elders, mission- from the congregations are transferred electroni- language of all four countries under the Benin branch, erning Body, the Writing Desk prepares material for pub- aries, pioneers, and others. The Service Department cally to the Britain branch, which has a literature but most people prefer a vernacular language. The branch lication. Considerable research is done before an article is responsible for translating publications into Bariba, schedules circuit assemblies and regional conventions. It warehouse serving a number of African countries. ´ is submitted. Source materials are provided for each fact also receives and tabulates field service reports from the The Britain branch ships the publications by Fon, Fulfulde (Maasina), Gourmanchéma, Gun, Jula, Ka- or quote that is used. The completed text is sent to head- congregations in the branch territories. Literacy classes ocean freight to the port at Cotonou, Benin. Re- biye, Moore, and Zarma. Remote Translation Offices quarters in the United States for processing. The branch have been organized in some congregations. As a result, quests for the Watchtower and Awake! magazines as have been established so that the translation teams can also provides artwork, often featuring African scenes, for nearly 4,000 people have learned to read and write since well as Our Kingdom Ministry are forwarded to the work in the areas where the respective languages are spo- printed publications and our Web site www.jw.org. ˇ 1990. branch where those items are printed. ken. Electronic files containing English text and design Every two weeks trucks from Nigeria deliver these information are received from headquarters in the Unit- items to Benin. The Benin truck routes are syn- ed States. Articles or publications are assigned to differ- ent translation teams. Each team is usually made up of chronized with the deliveries from Nigeria so that three members. After the text is translated, it is care- all congregations in the branch territories receive fully compared with the English original and proof- the magazines and Our Kingdom Ministry on time. read. This results in translations that are accurate, REMOTE TRANSLATION OFFICE IN OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO clear, and natural. The approved text is com- posed into pages and sent electronically to the printing branch.

INTERNATIONAL ARTWORK AFRICAN ARTWORK