TESTIMONIALS

ALINE

My name is Aline, and I live in Strasbourg, France. I am a nurse by profession. In 2018, I discovered the association Bâtisseurs Réunis on Facebook and contacted the coordinator, Daniel. After several conversations, I finally took a flight to Togo, where I spent three weeks doing a nursing internship at a health center dedicated specifically to people affected by leprosy in AKATA DZOKPE. I can say that the experience was very positive, with a warm welcome from the team, the patients, and the villagers.
Activities carried out: wound dressing, antibiotic injections, vaccinations, consultations, and temperature checks. Thank you.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FkYXz26rq/

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ASSOCIATION HORME

Number: +33 6 85 60 02 96

Our association, « Hormé, Vers un Monde Solidaire » has been working in close collaboration with the association “Bâtisseurs Réunis” since our creation in 2022. Bâtisseurs Réunis plays a key role in coordinating activities on the ground and managing the funds for our successive projects since 2022. These projects focus on supporting the education of underprivileged students in the village of Avexo-Tugbli (Plateaux region, Kloto prefecture), notably through the purchase of school supplies and the provision of breakfasts.

Every year, we implement this project together with Bâtisseurs Réunis, and since 2023 we have been working with them on the development of a larger-scale initiative aimed at empowering the women who are guardians of disadvantaged children by funding income-generating activities.

I therefore highly recommend the association Bâtisseurs Réunis to any structure or organization.

E-mail: paul.ballange@univ-tlse3.fr

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PAUL

I am a French student living in Toulouse. I am in my third year at the Faculty of Adapted Physical Activities for Health at the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier. For my internship, I chose Togo, and my mission was carried out thanks to the association Bâtisseurs Réunis. It has now been a month since I set foot on Togolese soil. The question I ask myself is: "If I had to explain a month of travel to someone who doesn’t know Togo, how should I go about it?"

We had to start somewhere, and what better starting point than a culinary one.

In one month, we have already created some shared traditions. The first: every weekend, we must eat foufou at least once. A traditional Togolese dish made from yam, the root is peeled, cut into pieces, and cooked. Then, as the boys do in the photo, a mortar and as many pestles as available arms (usually 4 to 6 maximum) are used to pound the yam with a little water until a uniform dough is obtained. The foufou dough is served with a sauce, mainly made from concentrated tomato, spices, and meat (beef, goat, chicken).

As you can guess, I have become a big fan of foufou.

Let’s continue this summary by returning to the core of the project, which is an internship mission in teaching in the field of sports. The image above shows the weights we use for the throwing cycle, the second cycle chosen by Mr. Saba. All students go through it (from 6th grade to final year), sometimes successfully, often with difficulties.

Unlike the climbing cycle, I took charge of many classes in this cycle. I realized the challenge of having 80 students at the same time, each holding a 3 kg weight. But practice makes perfect, and teaching makes me a better teacher. We start with ensuring everyone’s safety, which is our number one priority agreed upon with my colleague.

Imagine this situation: it is 7 a.m., and a class of 90 students arrives, full of energy. We line them up in 4 rows (about 23 students per row). We give a signal, and they must try to throw simultaneously to avoid accidents. Do they manage to throw at the same time? Of course not. Do they try seriously? Of course not.

So we stop everything and take time to explain the instructions again. The problem: the children are on average 12 years old, their French level is varied, and even the best students have pronunciation and speaking speed very different from what we have in France. In the first days, I faced 90 incredulous looks, not understanding anything of my explanations. I had to adapt, find solutions, because the students are as clever as they are energetic.

The project I am leading here is possible thanks to the help and support of the association Bâtisseurs Réunis, which allows volunteers from all countries to carry out humanitarian missions in Togo. Their causes are non-profit, and their objectives aim at all Togolese residents, without expectations or conditions.

I also had the chance to participate with the association in a awareness campaign about the importance of identity documents. The president and his association were keen to remind parents how crucial it is to obtain birth certificates for their children. These documents allow everyone to acquire citizenship rights in Togo, including the right to education. Without this, students cannot claim their rights and are sometimes prevented from taking state exams.

Before coming, I doubted the association, as some Togolese associations are criticized for not being serious. But after long discussions with Kosi, their representative in Paris, I gained trust, and thank God, I have no regrets about this mission. I can affirm that Bâtisseurs Réunis is a serious association, and I recommend it to anyone wishing to participate in a humanitarian mission in Togo or to any association, foundation, or NGO wishing to carry out a project with them.