Stichting GoTogo Ontwikkelingssamenwerking Afrika Togo

'Een kleinschalige en doelmatige vorm van ontwikkelingssamenwerking!'
 

News letter 2011/04, May 2011

De stichting GoTogo is in het leven geroepen om de onafhankelijkheid van de lokale bevolking van Togo te verbeteren. Zo kunnen mensen op basis van samenwerking eigen initiatieven starten om zichzelf te redden. GoTogo helpt hen op weg.

It’s about time for another news letter from GoTogo. A lot has happened since the change in policy of the Togolese government with respect to the Mô Plain. Because of this change in policy our foundation has altered its working method. The independence of the Togolese has always been the objective of GoTogo. As the government itself is now actively involved with the development of the Plain and the improvement of the living conditions in this area, our foundation can now give priority to supporting those activities employed by Togo itself.

Apart from the fact that we will continue the consultation and collaboration with the national and local authorities, we will especially focus on education, healthcare, water management and economic development. For the moment, however, the major part of our activities will be aimed at supporting education and water management. In our previous news letter we mentioned that GoTogo founded an Education fund last year. At the moment, this fund pays for 20 grants for children and youngsters whose parents are too poor to afford to pay for their children’s education and to provide them with the learning materials. Since the beginning of this year, wholesaler Groothandel Bergsma in Makkum, the Netherlands has been supporting the GoTogo projects. Our first joint project was the manufacture of sixty school benches for 120 first and second grade pupils of the public primary school in Tindjassé. Thanks to Groothandel Bergsma, also 12 desks and 70 chairs were made for the nursery school in Tindjassé. The desks and chairs of the nursery school have been painted in different colours, so this furniture can also serve as educational material. The furniture parts were made by a local carpenter in Sokodé, and then these parts were transported to Tindjassé where they were assembled and painted.

Recently, the schools received all their furniture. The Inspectorate of Education in Adjengré has immediately expressed its gratitude for this support and will soon confirm this in writing. When it comes to the gratitude of the teachers and the children: it is beyond description. There are many more schools in de Plain that need furniture, including four new nursery schools. We hope that these schools will also be provided with furniture.

We would also like to improve the facilities at the schools to such an extent that teachers as well as pupils will be able to completely focus on the education. Since two months, people have been driving a water well in the village of Gbanzabadé. This water well was donated by the Kringloopwinkel [shop specialized in recycled goods] in Steenwijk, the Netherlands; in its anniversary year this shop wanted to donate the revenues to five charities chosen by the volunteers. Within a short period the well will be completed. The consultation with the Togolese government focuses mainly on the improvement of healthcare in the Mô Plain, water management and economic development. At the moment this process is underway. With respect to the past experiences concerning the consultation between the Togolese government and the GoTogo Foundation, we have high hopes that also this time the collaboration will again lead to positive results for the people of the Mô Plain.

At the moment we are looking for sponsors in order to expand the Education fund, to drive water wells and to replace our old off-road vehicle. For further information, please contact our treasurer, Mrs Ineke van Ommen Kloeke-Vos, by phone: +31 (0)33 4613357, or via email: info@gotogo.org. Please, do not hesitate to contact us if your company or school would like to host a presentation about the projects of the GoTogo Foundation and/or would like to receive support with the organisation of activities or events.

Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met:

Stichting GoTogo
Van Lenneplaan 16
3818 VE Amersfoort
T +31 (0)33 4613357
F +31 (0)33 4654034
info@gotogo.org
www.gotogo.org