Peace Corps 2011 Togo: July 2013

So I’m finally giving an update for my school improvement project. First and foremost, thank you to everyone who donated and all that gave kind words, prayers and encouragement to make this project possible. I also want to thank my Dad who spent countless hours calling and emailing friends and family to help advocate for my project. I am so grateful to Saint Mary's Star of the Sea School in Hampton, Virginia for their fund raiser, the Hampton "Daily Press" and George Mason University "Broadside" for writing articles which greatly helped our fundraising efforts.

With the completion of my Take Our Daughters to Work (TODTW) formation I could finally receive the funds for the improvement project. Last week I went down to Lome to pick up all the books we ordered and travel with them in a car back to village. I arrived at the Lycee and everyone gathered around to get the first look at the shiny brand new books and to ooh and aah over them. My homologue, Akpo, had already made a trip down to Lome to purchase the wood for the new chalkboards as well as the chalkboard paint and brushes. We were all ready to get this project going.

The following day we organized for all the kids to come after school to help with all the work. The first kids to arrive were the girls I brought to TODTW and I quickly put them to use writing thank you notes to our wonderful donors. I just received the donor list once our financial goal was reached. I know some donors were anonymous so they will never get one of these thank you notes but they are in our hearts forever. It was important that the students understood that it was people in America who gave the money that allowed us to buy these books and that we should thank them. So we worked on that while waiting for everyone else to arrive.

(Girls working on Thank You notes for donors)

Kids trickled in slowly as did teachers. Soon there were students everywhere. The boys all had hoes and were removing weeds from the school compound while girls arrived with brooms to clean out the classrooms. Then the chalkboards and the book cover material arrived and the fun began.

We spent several hours painting the boards and cutting up the material to cover the books. I spent most of the time running back and forth taking as many pictures as possible and helping the teachers to supervise. Everyone had a lot of fun and I never saw so many smiles.

(girls working on sweeping out the classrooms)

(some Lycee boys transporting the wood for the new chalkboards)

(painting the chalkboards. My homologue, Akpo, is the guy in the plaid shirt)

(Me helping to paint the chalkboards . . . okay I painted for two minutes before passing the brush to a student and went back to taking pictures)

(girls looking through the new books)

(Covering books)

A few days later I roped the girls from my group to come again and help me and Akpo give serial number to each of the books. Now all that’s left is for the carpenter to finish building the new chalkboard stands. I’m so happy the students have these resources. Good chalkboards, textbook, and dictionaries will go a long way to improving their education.

Also the carpenters have finished making about half of the new desks and repairing the old ones. We were also able to provide a world globe for the lycee.