©AfreePress-(Lomé, February 2, 2023)- February 1, 2008 – February 1, 2023. It has been 15 years to the day that the NGO Compassion International officially settled in Togo.
To mark this event with a special cachet, the first leaders of this NGO hosted a press conference on February 1, 2023, at their headquarters in Lomé, during which they unveiled the activities on the agenda of this crystal jubilee.
At the same time, they took stock of the 15 years devoted to the protection of children in Togo and unveiled future actions.
According to figures provided by Compassion International Togo, from 648 in 2008, the number of children and young people registered in the program of Compassion International Togo in 2023 has increased to 75,428.
“Compassion International Togo, in this year 2023, there are 75,428 children and young people registered in the program and who receive support on all levels for their holistic development. This is 31,128 adolescents and young people, or 41.28% of the total number of program beneficiaries. It is present in the 5 regions of Togo, 25 prefectures out of 39, 57 communes out of 117 and 125 cantons out of 394. There are also 7,141 mothers and their children from 0 to 3 years old taken care of in the survival and early childhood with a total of 3,039 births since the launch of the intervention in 2014,” Olivier Koffi AHONON, National Director of Compassion International Togo, told AfreePress.
Over the past 15 years, the NGO has also built 140 mini-drinking water supply systems, 126 latrine blocks, 400 individual latrines, 145 hand-washing devices which benefit more than 500,000 people throughout the National territory.
The cumulative financial investment to date is 99.92 billion CFA francs, said Mr. AHONON. Also, he specified that, the activities of Compassion International in Togo have generated, to date, 1,500 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs.
The activities marking the crystal jubilee of Compassion International Togo run from February to April 2023 with various events.
For the first leaders of this NGO, it will be a question throughout this celebration of giving glory to the Lord for his many benefits with regard to the organization. Thus, various religious, sporting and cultural activities are planned throughout the national territory, including a thanksgiving service, a youth concert, a national forum on youth development and leadership. and a conference of gospel leaders and ministers.
The apotheosis of the celebration placed under the theme: « Burning sparks to make a difference in the nation », is scheduled for February 15, 2022. It will be marked by the completion of 306 young people in the program and the presentation of checks to winners of the « Qavah Youth Leadership Challenge » competition, which offers an opportunity for a child in the program to develop a project for their community.
In Togo, the organization works exclusively with evangelical churches established in the communities. However, it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex or religion in the registration of children. To date, it has 322 partner churches which alongside them have set up centers for the development of children and young people. In these centers, children and young people benefit from support and training for their holistic development.
The churches, through the voice of Djakouti Mitré, President of the Christian Council and President of the Church of the Assemblies of God in Togo, welcomed the commitment of the NGO in the fight against poverty within Togolese communities.
« Compassion International Togo has become, not only, a unifying element bringing ministers of the gospel closer to each other, but also an appropriate and adequate solution allowing the church to be present and to strengthen itself in the fields of child protection, health, nutrition, education, water, hygiene and sanitation, etc. “, he said.
It should be noted that Compassion International insures all the expenses of a child enrolled in its program until the age of 22.
Raphael A.
