SCAW, the YMCA, & AED-TogoJudy Weil — Beaconsfield, PQ
Volunteer activities have been a privilege I have enjoyed for the past thirty-five years. Making a contribution to my community through the schools, church, hospital, community sports organizations, and the YMCA have given me an opportunity to grow and understand my world a little better. Being a volunteer in Togo, the second poorest country in the world, has brought new meaning to the term volunteer. SCAW provides hope for children to live longer by providing a mosquito net that may prevent disease such as malaria or yellow fever. The bedkit mattress may be the first bed the child and their family has ever had. The children may be able to attend school now because they have the material to make the uniform. A pen and writing book afford them the chance to practice and participate in the curriculum. If the family cannot afford the $15 school fee, the school uniform or school supplies, she or he will not be eligible to attend school. They will work in the fields alongside their parents in the countryside. In the city they will work in the markets with their mothers. Parents and children are exceptionally happy to receive our gifts; however, there is so much more that needs to be done.
Meeting with YMCA staff gave us a few examples of just how needy Togo families are. The YMCA's vision to build capacity in young people for the rebirth of Africa is a huge challenge. With donations from Y Care International they design programs that will empower young people. For example they will pay school fees for families with no money. They lead youth groups in leadership and world peace, coach soccer; teach about good hygiene and the prevention of disease such as AIDS. Some families are so poor they come to the city and leave their children to live on the streets. There are no statistics of how many children live on the streets, the YMCA youth worker estimates in the thousands. Children steal in order to survive; if they get caught they go to jail. We went to visit a government sponsored facility. The YMCA youth workers are advocates for these children while they are in jail. They are mentors to these children until they have reintegrated successfully in society. We met a young man who is working as a mechanic. His sponsor, who he has been living with for the past three years, paid his debt for his crime. The boy is now eighteen years old and has successfully completed his mechanics apprenticeship. It will cost $400 to buy tools to start his own business one day and the YMCA will help finance this. The children in jail do not go to school; volunteers from church and the YMCA come and lead activities for them. We saw one girl and nineteen boys at the facility. The government provides one meal a day of maize. There are three cells, each with a barred window, a covered pail and two bed shaped slabs of concrete. Children are locked in their cells from 7 pm until 7 am. There can be as many as nine children sharing a 10- by 8 -foot cell at one time.
We asked many questions about the life of Togolesse people. We saw people living hand-to-mouth on every street corner. It was difficult for us to accept or understand, as they do, the lack of government responsibility and accountability for basic human rights, such as clean water, food, shelter, jobs, and education. Our OVO, Action Enfance et Développement Togo [AED-Togo], and the YMCA are working very hard to improve the lives of the poorest of the poor here in Togo. There is so much to do and yet they work tirelessly with volunteers to make a difference, one child, one youth, one parent, and one adult at a time. It has been an inspiration to participate in a small part of their journey. I hope that Togo can attract more organizations like Sleeping Children and the YMCA to help them help themselves. I, for one, will be talking about their needs to whomever will listen. |
