Inauguration of the Trainingscenter, Lomé, Togo
The new training center in Devikinme, around 20 kilometers east of the Togolese capital Lomé, was inaugurated with a festive ceremony on 6 February. The help alliance project offers high-quality training for up to 100 young people.
Under a sky hazy with Saharan sand, performances and singing provided an entertaining backdrop for the event, which was seen not only as a symbolic act but also as an important step for education and development in the region.
Official representatives of the GIZ and the German Embassy in Togo took part in the inauguration of the center. The most important partners of help alliance in the construction of this center, Miles and More and Lufthansa Systems, were also represented by employees.
Like all help alliance projects, this one is also supervised by Lufthansa Group employees on a voluntary basis. The project in Devikinme is led by Jean Adadevi, a native of Togo who works as a Senior Project Consultant at Lufthansa Systems. His work is crucial to the success and effectiveness of the training center. But employees from other Lufthansa Group divisions also provided support. For example, participants in Austrian Airlines’ Aircelerate program were already active on site in 2020, and last year employees from various areas responded to a call from help alliance and have been helping to develop the training modules ever since.
The financing of this project was largely made possible by a generous donation of over 400,000 euros from Miles and More as well as mileage donations from customers.
Andrea Pernkopf, Managing Director of help alliance, expressed her thanks: “I am delighted to be here today with so many colleagues from a wide range of sectors and to be opening this training center together. I am particularly pleased about the great support from Miles and More, who have made this project possible together with their customers.”
The project has created an international education and training center not far from the Togolese capital, which trains young people from the region to become qualified specialists with practical training in manual and agricultural professions such as mechanics, organic farming and food processing.
A particular focus is on training young women, who often face major challenges in learning a trade that enables them to become financially independent.
The sustainability of the project is ensured through close cooperation with a local partner organization, which now ensures the quality of the training courses and guarantees the long-term operation of the training center.
The opening of the training center is therefore an important step towards a promising future for young people in Togo.
