Education Togo – an overview
Our goal is simple yet ambitious: we want to improve the education of children and young people in Togo by building schools.
The Togolese Republic (Togo) is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. Our motto is “for local people, by local people”. A proactive and committed community as well as strong cooperation is what we expect to lie at the heart of our projects. Our task is to help the local community fulfill their dream of disposing of a proper school. Therefore, Education Togo regards itself as the promoter of the community and the facilitator of the respective project. In the end we want to be sure the schools are appreciated and maintained so that they provide children with education for many years.
Education Togo always strives to involve the local children, parents and teachers, as well as the community’s administrative institutions and influential personalities. Therefore, Education Togo is working with local volunteers, who are permanently in Togo, as well as the local communities. The projects are triggered and implemented by the local communities and funded and overseen by Education Togo. This is how we hope to enable the communities to live a better, healthier and well-educated life.
Why is our set-up so special?
Firstly, we have team members who live on-site, constantly communicate with locals and have excellent contacts in the region as well as with other NGOs, forming a network of knowledge, information and skills. This way they are constantly informed about the progress on the construction site and have the possibility to solve any difficulties which might arise. Thus, we fulfil the necessary conditions in order to ensure the supervision during the implementation phase. This is why we can also guarantee that ALL donations will serve their designated purpose, which is building the school.
Secondly, we only develop projects based on ideas from the community itself, proactively supported by locals and checked for feasibility by our team members. This is how we ensure that our projects are not only accepted, but sustainably integrated in their environment and coordinated with the local needs, so that in the end every donation contributes to successful implementation.
Thirdly, we are a highly motivated, competent team, which has experience in project management and development work. Besides, we dispose of a large network of supporters in Europe and the USA, including professional individuals, companies and universities. Since our team works on an exclusively honorary basis, we guarantee that every donated cent will benefit the project.
Visit our current project
So – how can you help?
Every contribution counts! We ask you to donate and spread the word to your friends, relatives, and acquaintances. We will update you regularly through the news section of this website as well as through our facebook fanpage.
Spread the word! We need you to act swiftly. Imagine what a contribution of even 5 or 10 Euro can do, your donation will be part of a school which is going to make an impact in the region for decades to come!
For donations, click the Donate button.
How it all began…
It all began when two friends – Thommy and Hannes – went to the US to study at the University of Texas, where they met Katy.
Fast forward three years: Katy is volunteering in Togo with the Peace Corps and Thommy decides to visit what in the meanwhile became a close friend. During a meeting with a local village chief, Thommy learns that the community urgently would need a school but lacks the fund to build one. Asking how much money they would need, Thommy finds out that the amount would be a comparatively modest EUR 15,000.
Back in Europe, he can’t stop thinking about his experience in Togo and his long talks with Katy and the village chief. His thoughts start to rotate around a single sum: 15,000 Euro – that is all it needs to build a school and help children to have a brighter future!
Deciding that this must be possible, he turns to his old friend Hannes who immediately is hooked. Together, they vow to bring up the money to start building a school in time. After a lot of brainstorming sessions, they register a society in Austria, “Education Togo”, and kick-start their fundraising efforts. Their friend Katy, who still stays a full year in Sokode, promises to keep in touch with the locals and to be our guide to all things Togo.
One year later the school is built and pupils are already attending classes in a new and wonderful building.
After the big success of the first project Thommy and Hannes thought that this can not be the end of the organization. There was still so much potential and need to help. So they decided to continue and expand the team a little bit with Diana and later with Daniel.
In September 2011 the team got a new project in Bougabou. So they immediately started with fundraising to arrange the budget. This time the school generated costs of 20000 Euros because they also installed a solar power system on the roof to provide basic lightning. The construction of the school finished in March 2012. A big success for the young team. But that is still not the end. The next project will start in 2013. Details will follow as soon as possible.
Visit the completed school in Sokodé
Visit the completed school in Bougabou