Lomé, le 15 mars 2024-(©AfreePress)- Lomé, March 15, 2024-(©AfreePress)-Compassion International Togo marked, on Thursday, March 14, 2024, the International Women’s Rights Day in the prefecture of Zio. In collaboration with its partner churches, the Christian NGO organised a meeting at Maison des Jeunes et des Femmes in Tsévié (35 km north of Lomé) on the theme: « Investing in women: accelerating the pace ».
The meeting brought together local authorities, leaders of partner churches, opinion leaders from the prefecture and hundreds of women beneficiaries of Compassion International’s accompaniment program.
It provided an opportunity to raise awareness among women and girls on specific themes related to women’s rights and to honour those who have a positive impact on their communities and families through innovative initiatives and income-generating activities.
For the first leaders of the organization, it is a question of recognizing, through this celebration, the efforts of these women from disadvantaged families who, today, have a transformed life thanks to the various initiatives made available to them.
« Compassion International Togo, in collaboration with its FCPs, is celebrating the March 8 event on a delayed basis because we have a program primarily focused on women and girls. Today, across all countries, we have at least 125 centres that care for 1792 women and we have at least 30,000 girls in the programme. We cannot, therefore, remain indifferent to this celebration. In addition, many activities are carried out in favour of these women and for us, this day is an opportunity to recognise and appreciate the efforts made. As you know, women play an important role in society. We train them, we offer them opportunities for growth. Today, they have platforms to express their talents and skills. We also train them in women’s leadership and empowerment, » said Dr. GBEKOU Kodjovi, Senior Manager of Program Support at Compassion International Togo.
For the NGO Compassion International, investing in women means contributing to the development of the community. Thus, for this celebration on March 8, about fifteen women identified in the different clusters of the prefecture received honorary distinctions and gifts from Compassion for their efforts in favor of the development of their localities.
« Thanks to the savings groups we have initiated, women are able to start their own businesses. Today, we were able to identify 296 women’s centers in Zio Prefecture that practice savings and credit, and for us, this is an opportunity to celebrate these women. Sixteen of them won awards. They received gifts from Compassion and the churches. These gifts are meant to motivate them, encourage them to persevere, innovate further, and most importantly, influence other women. For us, a fulfilled woman is a whole community that flourishes, » said the Senior Manager.
Present at this event, the officials of the Prefecture of Zio and the Regional Directorate of Social Action in turn praised the national office of Compassion International for its actions in favor of the holistic development of children, youth and women in their prefecture.
« Investing in Togolese women means encouraging them and telling them not to give up. The Togolese woman is a woman who always wants to move forward and the efforts of Compassion International Togo contribute to a more inclusive society. Today we saw women fighters, their journeys and their activities, and this proves that Compassion International Togo is doing a good job, » said Mrs. Donko Abiola, representative of the Minister for the Advancement of Women.
It should be noted that this celebration was also an opportunity for women enrolled in the Compassion International program to demonstrate their diverse talents through dances, skits, and product exhibitions.
Raphaël A.
