Volunteering in Togo

Volunteer in Togo

The country
Togo (officially the Togolese Republic) is a narrow country in West Africa with about 6 million inhabitants. The capital, Lomé, is on the Bay of Guinea on the south coast of Africa. Togo’s coastline is only 56 km. long. Inland Togo borders Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.

In the 1600s Togo was called „the Slave Coast”. In 1905 the country became a German colony. Later it came under British and French administration. Togo only gained independence in 1960.

Until 2006 the country was marked by tension, coup attempts and repression of democratic movements. Today peace is fairly restored and the government is trying to build up a public sector that functions.

Climate
The climate is generally tropical, average temperature is 27 °C.
The northern savannahs have a summer rainy season and the southern areas have two, spring and fall. Farmers depend on the rainy seasons for their crops, because there is almost no rainfall at other times.

Population
The majority of the population depends on agriculture for a living. The main crops are sorghum, manioc, yams, corn, rice and beans. Families in the villages live in clay huts without water or electricity. Bad hygiene, non-varied diet and polluted water cause poor health conditions and high child mortality. Only 40 percent of the population in the countryside has access to clean drinking water. Over 60 percent of the population lives under the poverty line and 14 percent suffer from malnutrition.

Health clinics and doctors are often far away and many families cannot afford to pay for treatment in the established health system. An average yearly income in Togo is under 300 Euros and rural families depend almost entirely on the crops they can produce themselves. 

The official language is French. Most of the population has never learned French, but speak one of the 40 local languages common in Togo. French is the teaching language in school, so children who speak only a local language at home must start school by learning a foreign language.

Most adults in Togo have not gone to school. Many cannot afford to send their children to school and also need the children to work at home. Therefore many children grow up with no schooling or practical trade skills.
The population includes Protestants, Catholics and Muslims, but the traditional nature religions are still an important part of life for most Togolese.

The programme
Most projects are located in Atakpamé. It’s the fifth largest city in Togo by population (85,000 inhabitants in 2006) and lies in the Plateaux Region of Togo. The City is a commercial centre and is situated on the main north-south highway, 160 km north of the capital Lomé. Few projects are also available in the cities of Sokodé and Kara, further north of Atakpamé.

The official language in Togo is French. Therefore, it is essential that volunteers speak at least some basic French. Besides French most people in the Kpalimé area speak Ewe.

Dates and lenght of stay
Voluntary work programmes in Togo start every Monday, year round. Your expected arrival day at Lomé Airport is Sunday. You are supposed to arrive between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM. If you arrive at the airport after 7:00 PM you will stay at a hostel in Lomé for the night, before you continue your trip to Atakpamé the next morning. Costs for an extra night in Lomé are not included in programme fees. Our partner organization will make all arrangements for you in this case.

If you cannot find a flight that arrives on Sunday you can still be picked up at the airport, but you will start the programme the following Monday with briefing.
If you want to work longer than 12 weeks, you can extend your stay once you are in Togo.

Language Course
The official language in Togo is French and only very few people in Togo speak English. Therefore, it is essential that volunteers have at least a basic knowledge of French.
For better communication volunteers with little or no French language are advised to take 10 hrs per week French lessons during minimum two weeks at extra cost. The language course takes place during in the afternoons of the first two weeks of volunteering. During this time you will work less hours at your project.

Besides French all people speak a regional or local language. All volunteers will therefore have the opportunity to follow 2 weeks local language lessons in the afternoons free of charge.
If you are proficient in French, you will only follow local language lessons. If you are fluent, you might be asked to help teach French to the other volunteers.

Accommodation and Food
Most projects are in or around the city of Atakpamé where our partner organization is located. In most cases you will be accommodated with a friendly and carefully chosen Togolese family.

You will have your own bedroom and share bathroom/showers and toilets (Togolese style mainly). Orphanage projects are residential projects, i. e. you have your room in the project. Normally, you will also get your own room here but in some cases you are supposed to share a room with another volunteer.

Your host family will provide 3 local meals a day, 7 days a week.

Volunteer work

• Teaching
• Work in Hospitals
• Work in Kindergarten
• Work in Orphanage
• Work with deaf people
• Work with handicapped people

Teaching in Togo

Schools in Togo generally suffer from a shortage of teachers and huge classes, very often with more than 60 students.

volunteers at public schools in Atakpamé assist teachers during classes, take care of the children and help them with their homework and free time activities, sports and play.
Since French is the official language volunteers need a good knowledge of French for teaching projects. Volun­teers with a very good knowledge of French can also give lessons in math’s, geography, reading and writing.
The children are 6 to 12 years of age.

Volunteers with a college diploma may work at a high school and teach students age 12 – 23 yrs.

During summer break (July/August) our partner organi­zation runs a four-week summer camp for orphans or children from poor families, where you can help occupy the children. There are also summer school programs in July and August where you can assist the teaching.

Work in hospitals in Togo

Volunteers at hospitals in Atakpamé will support the staff, take care of the patients, wash and feed them, help the doctors and assist the nurses in their daily work. Medical volunteers may also help in the hospital in the laboratory.
Volunteers with a medical background such as medical students or certified nurses can work very closely with the patients as a doctor/nurse’s aid.

Medical volunteers without credentials can also join health projects but will mainly assist the nurses in distributing medicines and washing and feeding the patients.
Medical volunteers with health care certifications such as an ID as a medical student, EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) or paramedic certifica­tion, or nursing or physician's credentials need to bring a certificate translated into French if they want to work as a doctor’s aid.

Work in Kindergartens in Togo

The kindergartens are located in Atakpamé. Parents bring their children in the morning before they go to work and pick them up again in the afternoon. Since most families only speak local languages the kindergarten is the first place where children learn some French before they go to school. Therefore, teaching some basic French words, numbers and letters belongs to the volunteers’ activities. Furthermore, volunteers are expected to play, sing, paint and dance with the children. The staff will also be happy when volunteers are creative and develop their own activities for the children.

Since education is one of the primarily tasks of a kindergarten, education material like pencils, pens, colored marking pens or art pencils, storybooks, notebooks, educational games, etc. are very welcome.

Besides an average knowledge of French there are no specific qualifications needed to volunteer in a kindergarten. However, volunteers should be flexible, pro active and patient and should bring passion and love for the children.

Work in orphanages in Togo.

Though HIV/AIDS in Togo is not such a thread like in many other African countries the number of orphans caused by HIV/AIDS remains high.

The orphanages are located in Atakpamé. Volunteers assist the staff in all activities at the orphanage. During the morning, the older children go to school. So, volunteers take care of the younger ones, help them to dress and with breakfast and play or sing or dance with them. In the afternoon when the older children return from school, volunteers help them with their homework and play games or sports. Besides these child-related activities volunteers are expected to assist the staff in all other activities to run the orphanage including cleaning up the rooms or preparing meals for the children.

There are no specific qualifications required for the orphanage project. However, volunteers must have love for the children and willingness to share their time and compassion with patience and flexibility.

Vivenda Deaf School

The Vivenda Deaf Schools were founded in 2003 by Pastor Tété ETIKO as an answer to the missing social educative integration of people with a hearing impairment. In order to overcome the discrimination and disadvantage of deaf people Pastor Etiko started to teach deaf children and gave them professional training. He also worked on ways to improve communication abilities of people with a hearing impairment.

There are about 20 children at the schools all between 8 and 16 years of age. They are divided into two classes, CP1/CP2 and CE1/CE2 according to their ages. Here, they get education like in a regular public school since the Vivenda Deaf Schools follow the official syllabus of Togolese schools.

The project offers a wide range of possibilities to volunteers. However, their main tasks will be to assist the two teachers preparing their daily lessons and to support them with extracurricular activities. Regular working hours are Monday – Friday from 7:00 to 12:00.

The Vivenda Deaf Schools are located in Sokodé, the second biggest city of Togo and the capitol of the Central Region as well as in Kara, third biggest city and capital of the Kara Region further north of Sokodé.

Instituts Médico-Psycho-Pédagogique (IMPP)

The institutes were founded by the Consortium of Churches in Togo and are located in Sokodé in central Togo, around 340 km north of the capital city of Lomé and in Kara, 410 km north of Lomé, near the border to Benin.

The institutes provide professional training to handicapped people, children and adults. These skills will hopefully allow them to lead a life as independent as possible. There are about 20 people living at each institute, divided into three groups where they are taught arts and crafts Monday – Friday.

Besides professional training the handicapped also receive medical treatment such as physiotherapy or other treatment related to their specific handicap.
Volunteers assist the teachers and educators in preparing lessons and helping during medical therapies. They also help the handicapped to get to their classes and help them during meal times.

Normal working hours are Monday to Friday from 7:30 – 11:00 and from 11:30 to 15:00. Normally Wednesday afternoon and weekends are off.

Working Hours
Depending on the type of project working hours may vary from 20 – 35 hrs. per week.

Enrolment Form Togo
Enrolment form for Togo, please CLICK HERE.

Programme fees in EURO

For longer stays, please contact info@exis.org

Included in the fee

• Airport pick-up at Lomé Airport and transportation to Atakpamé, Sokodé or Kara.
• Accommodation with carefully chosen, friendly host family (single room, shared bathroom and toilet) or at project site.
• 3 local meals a day, 7 days a week.
• French lessons, 10 hours a week in the afternoons during volunteer work period. If you choose not to follow French lessons, you will follow 10 hrs. regional language lessons..
• Supervision and support by local staff.
• Pre-departure booklet in English.

Not included in the fee

• Insurance.
• Airfare.
• Visa fees.
• Fees for vaccination.
• Pocket money.

Togo or not Togo

It is a big challenge to live and work in a poor country. It demands courage, some experience and the ability to adapt. It is emotionally demanding to work with underprivileged people, but at the same time it gives a unique opportunity to do meaningful work. It can be overwhelming, especially at first, to have to adjust to completely new conditions and communicate in a foreign language. Things are not as you are used to, the climate, the food, the atmosphere – everything is different. During your work you will be faced with a harsh social reality and experience things a tourist would never see.

Do not expect a planned daily schedule waiting for you at your work place. If you have decided to work with children, you should already know how to entertain children – with crafts, sports, games and more. Use your imagination and be creative.
EXIS offers basic clean accommodation in Togo, but do not expect European standards.
To take part in the voluntary work program, maturity, flexibility, independence and the desire to do social work are necessary. Your stay is an experience you will never forget.

Enrolment procedure

You enroll by e-mailing the enrolment form to info@exis.org.
Please mark your work priorities on the enrolment form.The local coordinator will do his best to respect your first priority, but we cannot guarantee that you will get your wish fulfilled. Volunteers should be open to other possibilities in case some projects are not available.

Our partner organization is responsible for the placement and will assign volunteers according to their wishes AND according to the needs and requirements of the projects. Please add a letter of motivation in French or English in which you explain why you wish to work as a volunteer and describe yourself. 
Upon receipt of your enrolment form EXIS will send confirmation and more useful information.

Enrolment form Togo
Enrolment form for Togo, please CLICK HERE.

Visa requirements for EU Citizens
Visa Requirements for EU Citizens
Visitors from non-Schengen countries are required to have three passport photos and require proof of yellow fever vaccination (see also Vaccination). Proof of a return or onward ticket is necessary; otherwise a refundable deposit to the amount of the normal return airfare must be paid to a bank or the transporting airline. Visitors must also hold all documentation for the next destination if continuing from Togo.

Note: Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice. Travellers are advised to check their entry requirements with their embassy or consulate.

The visa will normally be issued for a period of 3 months. Apply only for a tourist visa. For longer stays the visa can be extended for another 3 months by leaving the country, a visit to nearby Ghana, and entering again after some days.
You can find the nearest Togolese embassy here: http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Togo/togo.htm

Safety
It has been relatively calm in Togo since the Presidential elections in April 2005, but pick pocketing and carjacking are common in Lomé, especially on the seafront and in marketplaces. It is best to travel in groups, especially at night, in these areas.
Taxis are often poorly maintained and should never be shared with strangers. Border entry and exit points can be opened and closed without warning. Your passport/identity documents can be subject to checks by military and police. The ocean currents along the coast can be very strong, so be very careful if you go swimming.

Togo is a member of ECOWAS, Economic Community of West African States. Togo’s relations with the European countries have improved since 2006. This is due to reconciliation within the country. Togo has close ties to France, its former colonial power.