this association stands out by not resorting to international aid, but relies only on the local community’s empowerment

1. Social Animation and Women Empowerment Center
of Bombouaka
Franciscan brother Germain Adjohoun, Bombouaka, septembre 2018
Context :
Bombouaka is a small town located in
northern Togo, with about 4000
inhabitants, the majority of which are
farmers and craftsmen.
This region faces a difficult situation in
terms of poverty and poor sanitary
conditions.
Its most vulnerable groups are the
young, especially those who will not or
hardly attend school (most of them
girls, or teenage mothers), and the old,
in particular if their children left for cities
to seek employment.
The Social Animation and Women
Empowerment Center (CASPF) was
created in 2015, to tend to these
vulnerable populations, using local
human and financial ressources.
Team :
- Person in charge and organizer: Germain
Adjohoun, Franciscan brother allotted to the
local Catholic Mission, and holder of an
official degree in social sciences and
sustainable development;
- 8 volunteering instructors, all born and
raised in Bombouaka. They receive initial and
in-service training at a national level, and are
committed to attend weekly organizational
meetings.
To address the need of the most vulnerable, the center has 3 types of activities:
• Literacy teaching, `
• Education and training for women,
• Follow-up of elderly people; this is this year’s theme, and we were invited to take part to the its
official launching and initial steps.
Guiding principle :
1
Bombouaka village
Volunteering instructors team

2. Important: in the case of CASPF, « community » refers to the « CCB » (Christian grass-roots
community). The villages is divided in 7 CCB, each one spread on a given territory, with members
who chip in, and a coordinating team which refers to the local Parish.
Thus CASPF and CCB benefit from the local Church network, amenities, communication
channels and human ressources.
Although CASPF is known to be a Christian organization, their actions support all inhabitants on
CCB territories, regardless of their faith. This is possible because religions intertwine rather
harmoniously in Togo.
So, based on the observation of the difficulties experienced by people of the community, the CASPF
identifies the real underlying causes, and sets up an action program for the community (organization,
skills and means, implementation, evaluation, follow-up), so that it can provide a sustainable solution
to this problem.
Fr Germain and the « Social intervention
within the community » method »:
➡ Identifying the problems, and the target
population : instructors always start with
door-to-door visits, where they meet with
vulnerable people; first this helps them
establish a diagnostic, second it is a form of
awareness-raising, as it lets these people
know that their difficulties are being taken
into account. For instance while we
accompanied instructors in those door-to-
door visits, we collected data such as age,
marital status, number of children and their
current location, known health issues,
identity and phone number of referee
person. In 2 days, we identified and
collected data for no less than 190 elderly people, meeting pre-determined criteria.
➡ Community awareness-raising (CCC method = how to change behavioral patterns): for this
step, CASPF resorts to local leaders. These are recognized in the community charisma as such,
and when It is possible, they are selected according to their professional activity, the
neighbourhood they live in, their gender and age, in order to have a group make-up as varied and
representative as possible. Their task is to convey messages, and to mobilize the population
when needed. For instance the 8 instructors working for CASPF distribute between the 7
neighborhoods of Bombouaka. During the door-to-door visits, they would naturally visit their
living area, where they are well-known.
➡ People’s mobilization : the main organizer seeks the full and willing participation of each person
within the community. As a result, local funds must be prefered, modest as they might be, to
external financing. With this system people are more involved, feel more responsible for the
actions implemented, feel prouder too. The scope of these actions might be smaller, but they are
more sustainable. Another important benefit, especially in the Togolese context, is that it ensures
a better independence of action. In CASPF, each district collects and contributes an amount of
money proportional to its number of inhabitants. This fund-raising takes place at the beginning of
the scholar year, and is collected for CASPF activities via the classic Church channels.
➡ Respect toward beneficiaries, make them feel valued. A global approach that includes their
professional and familial environment, helps to identify their talents and limits, and put them in
relation with the needs of the community. For instance: the owners of businesses where
youngsters work as apprentice, are involved in their literacy training, thanks to on-site visits by
CASPF instructors, weekly meetings organized by CASPF, and an invitation to the End-of-the-
Year graduation event, where many employers are proud of their apprentices’ performance.
➡ The action plan corresponds to on-site liabilities, and to the real needs of the beneficiaries.
For instance, literacy teaching does not entail only reading, writing and counting, but alors a wide
2
house calls - awareness-raising

3. array of social and work subjects, such as labour legislation and the right of workers, basic
training to health, nutrition, hygiene, birth control.
➡ Implementation and monitoring of
action plan : monitoring and performance
indicators (such as the rate of access to
durable employment for girls) are used to
validate the plan and provide transparency
to financers (whether the community itself,
or external ones). Brother Germain is in
charge of collecting the indicators and
produce a report to the intention of the
community, and if necessary, to MZF (the
Franciscan international aid funds).
➡ Evaluation et sustainability : regular
evaluations of the program enable to
report to the community in priority, and
thus to ensure its sustainability provided it
is successful and rewarding. It also entails
the beneficiaries follow-up, who are
strongly encouraged to participate in turn
to CASPF activities.
Avenues of discussion :
⁃ Local initiatives, versus International aid: CASPF is an example of how community
solidarity can be a driving force: what matters is for people to realize that together they are
stronger, and can address and sort out issues one after the other.
⁃ Holistic approach of vulnerable people: including their family and community context,
personal history, health. Psychologist and social workers are key actors.
⁃ Reach back is not common, even in the solidarity-prone context of modest
backgrounds. It is hard to identify what factors encourage or on the contrary, impediment
this reach back.
⁃ In Togo religious congregations and actors are usually well integrated, and have
experience in working for and in concert with local communities. They benefit from a
dynamic and well-rooted network. Their actions are often endowed with a spiritual and
brotherly aura that is not so common, even in the field of other solidarity actions.
⁃
Remarks on financing :
• Brother Germain’s guiding rule is that external funding should not excess 80%; the remaining
20% ought to be supported by the community and especially the beneficiaries, in order to make
them feel more involved and responsible, thus improving the project’s sustainability. Ideally, the
project would be entirely self-sustaining, but it in Togo it seems a long shot for most programs.
• Projects should always be part of larger, longer-term vision programs. Punctual or isolated
projects (build a well, build toilets and so on), are sometimes more harmful than beneficial.
• Another view of the sponsorship system: Br Germain observes that sometimes, beneficiaries end
up regarding the money as a due, hence being more attached to what they think they are
entitled, than to their own achievements. Besides, it’s worth noticing that this system does not
necessarily encourages reach back behaviors and solidarity toward their own community. So Br
Germain is currently experiencing a community support system: the community invests in and
lends an equipped working space, to help freshly graduates to start their business; in return, they
are expected to train 2-3 young apprentices for free, and so on. Owing to one’s own community,
is a better incentive and a powerful driving force to local development.
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Meeting with instructors under the Apatam
Inspire 2019 - Alex et Sara Baudoux