SCAW BLOG: TOGO, 2026: OCTOBER 13
500 children, 500 bedkits and one incredible day in Togo.🇹🇬
Today we had the privilege of giving 500 children their very own bedkit on behalf of Sleeping Children Around the World.
Seeing their faces light up as they received the items many of us take for granted was a powerful reminder of how much the simplest essentials can mean — a place to sleep, protection, clothing, and the tools to learn.
Each child received:
🛏️ Mattress with thick protective plastic
🛌 Bedding sheet
🦟 Mosquito net
🎒 School backpack
📓 School notebooks
📐 Geometry set
✍️ Writing board
👕 Girls: skirt + T-shirt
👕 Boys: shorts + T-shirt
🧵 Fabric for a school uniform
Day 1 complete. 500 children today and 2,000 more smiles to go🇹🇬. Behind every number is a child, a family, and a story. ❤️
Team Togo, 2026
ADES Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: TOGO, 2026: OCTOBER, 12
The SCAW team wrapped up our first day with distribution prep. This included a visit with the OVP team showing us the items in the bedkit and what was different from last year and what was new this year!
It also included the changing of money with Kokou who has helped the SCAW team 15 years ago and is still present. He exchanged our team’s money during the pre-distribution meeting.
Next, the money for this week’s expenses was handed off to the team “banker.'“ Jaime, being a recent grad going into accounting chose to be the banker. And to finish up the day we ended at the beach!
But the bonus of the day was when we spotted a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey on a passerby. Of course we had to stop and get a photo with him! We finished our visit with him by giving him a Canada pin!
Team Togo, 2026
ADES Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: TOGO, 2026: OCTOBER 12
So after a LONG journey the Canadian team of 6 has arrived in Togo, Africa and boy was it worth it!
Yes - even one of the Team Leaders had to take advantage of catching up on his sleep in the Brussels airport! Too bad he didn't have a bedkit!
The greetings we received from members of ADES Togo were unsurpassed and it was as thrilling to see our OVPs as it was for them to see us!
Pictured here is a weary SCAW team as well as the driver - Edem and members of our OVPs including Doseeh, his brother Messenh - his Wife Frida, their shy 2 year old, their mother Afi along with Victoire and Denis.
Once we were settled with our cases of water we were able to get some well deserved sleep.
Stay tuned for our preview of this year’s bedkit which will be given to 2500 children in Togo over the next 5 days!
Team Togo, 2026
ADES Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Togo, 2025: October 24
Fun on our final day!
Imagine our delight when we drove up to the cheers of the children on the final day in Togo. When they saw the truck carrying the mattresses and bedkits they could not contain their cheers and excitement!
The mattresses were quickly unloaded while the 2 principals called the names of the children who then assembled in a classroom, waiting anxiously for us to set up the photo site.
In the meantime, 2 of the SCAW team members showed the waiting 125 children what exactly they would be receiving. Their cheers could be heard in the next village! 👏
500 children will rest peacefully tonight and all thanks to the wonderful SCAW donors!
Team Togo, 2025
Association Developpement Enfance et Social Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Togo, 2025: October, 23
Kindness
The light of kindness
is always in you.
It's like a superpower
that gives you the ability
to find your purpose,
to change life,
and to make the world a better place.
Kindness was found everywhere today:
- in our awesome volunteers
- in our new SCAW children
- in their parents and grandparents
- in their teachers and principal
- in our bus driver, and
- in our SCAW team.
Thank you to our donors for enabling us to spread kindness.
Team Togo, 2025
Association Developpement Enfance et Social Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Togo, 2025: October 22
Time, Talent and Treasure
Sleeping Children is back in Togo after several years absence, thanks to ADES – Togo*, a new charitable organization specifically set up to partner with SCAW and resume helping Togo children living in poverty – and all of it because of the leadership of brothers, Messenh and Dosseh.
Followers of SCAW in Togo might remember these two from the ‘three musketeers’, who, as young men with their cousin, helped every SCAW team, every day. Well, they are now in their 30s, have families and wish to give back this time with their time, talent and treasure. They formed ADES – Togo with about 25 young women and men (21 volunteers were at the first distribution!) and it is a joy to see them bring joy to the distributions as they help organize, play and interact with the children, families and us, the SCAW volunteers.
Three of the four on our team have been to previous Togo distributions and see the ‘three musketeers’ in all the ADES – Togo members. High praise!
Their logo represents it all - for the children they (and we) are helping be happy, joyful, playful, safe and cared for.
Team Togo, 2025
Association Developpement Enfance et Social Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦
*Association Developpement Enfance et Social
SCAW Blog: Togo, 2025: October 21, 2025
“ I am good, I am great” 🎼 🎼 🎼
That was the song that the children sang to us in English at the completion of a successful first day distribution in Togo! We are thrilled to be back in Togo with the ADES - Togo (Association Developpement Enfance et Social) group after a gap of a few years. And they didn’t disappoint - 125 children experiencing poverty received the gift of a bedkit to ensure a good night’s sleep!
We also were able to visit 2 homes of children in the village of Bolougan who received a bedkit today. Here we witnessed a co-op where they made clay pots and bricks. They had a 300 meter deep well which supplied the village with water, saving them having to walk several miles to get water from the river!
The first house was made of clay and housed a family of 8 which included a young girl. The second house was of a single mother and her 12 year old boy and what we noticed right away were sayings on the wall in chalk. The young boy was a big fan of soccer and we knew that because of what was written.
We are off to a great start and thankful for the donors and the smiles that we received today!
Team Togo, 2025
Association Developpement Enfance et Social Togo 🇹🇬 + SCAW 🇨🇦