Celebration to mark EU and Plan partnership to bring clean water and sanitation to Togo

22 December, 2011: Access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene is a huge issue in many parts of West Africa and nowhere more so than in Togo where 7 out of 10 people don’t have access to a toilet.

As part of a big water and sanitation drive, Plan and the European Union are funding a five year programme to improve access to these life-saving essentials in the prefecture of Blitta in Togo’s Central Region .

Waterborne diseases such as cholera are a major health risk in the country with the highest reported cases of illness after malaria. Many people in the poorer regions of Togo do not have access to a suitable safe water supply meaning that debilitating conditions like diarrhoea are also widespread.

“We believe that through drinking clean water and learning about sanitation our children will grow up healthy and strong,” explains Kéméalou, a mother of three from the community of Yelum Lekohan in Blitta.

Helping to save lives

The project aims to provide more than 53,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women, living in 40 communities with sustainable access to clean drinking water, hygiene education lessons and sanitation facilities.

Involving children is at the heart of the work, encouraging them to learn about basic hygiene and the importance of sanitation so that they can then go back to their families and communities and pass on the skills they have learned.

Plan and the European Union are also planning to build 70 new latrines and hand washing facilities in schools in the country in order to help keep children healthy so that they remain in school. Similar facilities are also being developed in health care centres to create a cleaner environment

"This project will bring drinking water sources for households and reduce the time spent searching for water. And it will be time saved for my studies,” explains Mazalo, a 13 year old student from Yelum Lekohan.

21 November, 2011: As part of the ‘Leadership of girls through football’ project, Plan Togo recently organised a match for girls from the Kadambara region to play against their rivals from the Langabou region.  After a hard fought game, the team from Kadambara were victorious, winning the match 1-0 and is now preparing for the championship semi-final in December.

The project has been a great success for children in Togo as playing football can provide them with a number of skills that they can use in the future, including team work and communication.

A championship league has been set up where 12 teams of 36 girls compete against one another, and aims to promote and reinforce the leadership of girls by supporting the efforts of the communities through football. Local radio stations have also showed their support, promoting the project, the match results and the issue at the heart of the project – child protection.

During half time at this particular match, girls from the Langabou football team performed a dance routine highlighting the importance of education for children, particularly girls, and raised awareness of the need for equal rights of boys and girls.

Plan has been working hard to promote children’s rights and provide girls with skills that they can take back to other children in their communities in Togo. The leadership through football project is building confidence in the girls to speak in public, as well as fostering a competitive spirit and promoting physical wellbeing.

This championship football match had everyone in Togo excited. People came to watch the match from all over.  According to proud mother Marie:  “When I see my daughter falling to the ground in the match, I do worry, but when she stands back up and continues to play, I see how courageous she has become. Since my daughter has taken part in the project, she has learnt so many new skills. Thank you to Plan, for their hard work and support they have shown to our girls.”

According to one of the players: “This project has enabled me to discover my weaknesses and to work on these. I have also been able to see the many corners of Togo and experience how different children live. I intend to continue playing football, and hope to become a professional referee. I thank Plan Togo for everything they have given us.”

Read more about Plan's work in Togo

A family being checked for Malaria by Plan trained staff

September 15, 2011: A project to curtail deaths from malaria and reduce guinea worm and river blindness infections is being rolled out across Togo as part of a US$25,200,000 partnership between the country's Ministry of Health, Plan and The Global Fund.

The partnership in Togo is one of 3 between Plan and The Global Fund in West Africa with a combined value of more than $50,500,000. Burkina Faso ($13,600,000) and Cameroon ($12,100,000) are the other recipient countries.

As implementation of the projects winds down in Burkina, it is scaling up in Togo and Cameroon. All projects will be complete by February 2013.

Child focus

With a focus on child participation, Plan works with local partners and its own child and youth groups to deliver long-lasting insecticide nets and raise awareness of malaria prevention and treatment.

In addition, communities are made aware of other easily prevented and treated maladies caused by parasites. Treatment is made available at net distribution sites for river blindness-round worms, guinea worms and schistosomiasis-snail fever. Vitamin A deficiency-immune boosts are also provided.

Children under 5 are particularly vulnerable to malaria and Vitamin A deficiency. In Africa, every 45 seconds a child dies from malaria and accounts for 20% of child deaths according to the World Health Organisation.