PROJECT-SUPPORT TOGO

Association suisse-togo, Herisau, Switzerland

Country / Place

Togo, Daviè

Togo is a state in West Africa, located on the Gulf of Guinea, bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. The capital and seat of government is the city of Lomé.

Togo is a small state by African standards. It is a multi-ethnic state, heterogeneously composed of almost as many ethnic, as language, groups. The population of the different ethnic groups ranges from a few hundred to several million people. In 2021, the country had 8.5 million inhabitants.

Daviè is a small town in the southern "region maritime".

General

For the Association suisse-togo there was no clear vision at the beginning, but the personal consternation of a Swiss visitor about the poor prospects of young people in Togo. Quite a few dreamed of leaving the country to escape the economic and political hardships. Already the very first projects, from 1999 onwards, were aimed at creating prospects through education. This basic idea has remained true to this day. Education empowers and motivates young people to change the current situation. The association is active in school, and in vocational and adult education. It also supports children and young people in difficult situations.

Beneficiaries

The Association suisse-togo has been running a public school in the town of Daviè since 2012. Public schools do not have an elitist character in Togo. 35% of all schools are privately initiated. The classrooms are simple and functionally furnished. School fees are deliberately kept very low, so that no children are excluded for cost reasons. Approximately 25% of all pupils do not pay school fees at all, as some parents permanently or temporarily lack the means.

Project-support

Project: Extension for school library

The school works with the official teaching materials and supplement them with their own, self-designed teaching materials. What is missing is a library, because most children and young people hardly have any books at home.

The aim is for the 350 pupils and teachers of the suisse-togo school to have access to a variety of non-fiction books and literature in French. This way, they expand their knowledge of French, their reading skills, and their general knowledge. They also gain access to works by African authors that provide a different perspective to European literature.

In addition, the teachers will have a well-equipped workplace for lesson preparation with computer/internet access, and the library will also be used as a showroom for educational films