A future despite Corona

Impact Story from Togo: Additional funding priorities

Elom made it. With the help of the help alliance project in Togo, she was able to start training as a tailor and even set up a small business during the Corona pandemic.

A high school diploma and then? Does that not guarantee the prospect of a secure future? Not for Elom Agbana. The third child in a family of seven, she lives in Lomé, the capital of Togo. In this small West African country, about half of the eight million people live below the absolute poverty line. Many young people here have no job prospects and find it difficult to find training or a job. One third of young people are neither employed nor in school. Access to high-quality secondary education is expen-sive. “I would have liked to attend university after I graduated from high school, but my family couldn’t afford it,” Elom says. One day she remembers that she heard about the kommTOGOgehweiter (KTGW) associa-tion in school – and that changed her life for good.

The happiness of an education

In the KTGW association supported by help alliance, socially disadvantaged young adults receive interdisciplinary bilingual vocational training. Blaise-Pascal d’Almeida, project coordinator and, until his retirement, an aircraft technician at Lufthansa CityLine, founded the association to give young people in his home country professional opportunities through vocational training: “Young people in particular need support and encouragement. Only with a life and career perspective in their own country can they escape poverty.” With the support of help alliance, 55 young adults have been able to receive training in various fields, such as tailoring or accounting, at vocational training centers in Togo every year since 2018. “I was lucky enough to be able to start training as a tailor and now I am in my second year of my apprenticeship,” Elom tells us happily. A special feature is the bilingual nature of the training in German and French. The graduates become cooperation partners for German companies, which improves their chances on the job market. Besides the trainees, the local community benefits from the qualified skilled workers as well as less poverty and unemployment.

Founding a tailor start-up during Corona

The outbreak of the Corona pandemic brought challenges to 2020, but opportunities as well. As part of the project, the trainees developed innovative ideas in response to the Corona crisis. Some even formed small start-up teams to carry out their business ideas. Elom, along with other young women, produced protective facemasks: “When Corona forced the training centers to close, some of us took sewing machines home and we made reusable masks out of cotton.” Another group worked on assem-bling hygiene kits consisting of a mouth guard, soap, paper tissues and a small hygiene manual. “Several trainees also started an awareness campaign about Covid-19 in schools. It’s incredible how they have gone above and beyond,” Blaise-Pascal d’Almeida reports proudly. The awareness campaign received impressive feedback: Togolese media reported on it and other institutions did the same for the trainees. Elom and her teammates quickly expanded production in their start-up, making bags and clothing. “Our big goal is to expand production and start new workshops to help other trainees.” For Elom, the apprenticeship means more than just the chance for a better life. It has allowed her to grow and develop: “I used to be shy, but participat-ing in the project’s activities has made me more confident.” Even though it has been a tough year, Elom can look at what she has achieved so far with pride. The Corona crisis has challenged her in a completely new way, but the experience was enriching. With her training as a tailor, she has set the course for a better future in Togo.