©AfreePress- The conference room of the Haho Hotel in Notsé (about 94 km) north of Lomé, hosted exchanges between Compassion International Togo and the authorities of Haho district on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. Operating in Togo since 2008, the Christian NGO Compassion International Togo has seen fit to initiate meetings with the local authorities of the communes and prefectures where it already operates. It was with this in mind that a meeting was held between her and municipal representatives, heads of prefectural services, the children’s judge, traditional chiefs including Togbui Agokoli IV, the president of the traditional chiefs of Togo and some religious leaders. In his speech, the district Governor of Haho, Tchangani Awo, was full of praise for Compassion International Togo, which he said, is doing a huge job in the fight against poverty.
For him, the present gathering offers the opportunity to get to know Compassion better in order to explore with it new perspectives for the well-being of children. Also present at this launching ceremony, the Director General of Child Protection in Togo, Doctor Kandalé Kondoh, underlined the special nature of the meeting, which, according to him, is an appropriate opportunity to explore the impact of Compassion’s work in Togo. He also encouraged the leaders of this NGO to pursue more, alongside the government, their actions in favor of poor and vulnerable children.
The organizer of this event, Mr. Antonin Azoti, National Director of Compassion International, thanked the authorities of the district and the other guests for all the efforts they already provide in the children’s rights protection and defense in their different communities. Introducing his NGO, Mr. Azoti focused on some memorable statistics. Indeed, Compassion International Togo works through its child holistic development program throughout the territory of Togo. It counts nearly 70,000 children in the sponsorship program. In Haho, there are more than 4000 enrolled who benefit among other things from health care, support for education and vocational training.
As part of a water and sanitation project, Compassion International Togo poured more than one billion CFA francs in this district with more than twenty boreholes and latrines built in the villages. Mr. Azoti also emphasized on the contributions of his NGO in the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) of the government.
It was very candid that Compassion International Togo’s strategies and activities are fully in line with the NDP. The participants of meeting appreciated the initiative. They felt very happy and honored to get to know Compassion better, an NGO which significantly contributes to sustainable development. They also expressed their wish to see Compassion established in more localities of the district and promised to avail themselves to support Compassion in these development works.
