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SALEM- since 2000 in Togo

Recently I made my way to Togo to visit our project there. The last time I was there was in 2017. So it was high time to see it again and talk to the team on site in person.

After a few days in Ghana with a tour group from our cooperation partner Tugende, I drove further north from Kpalimé alone. The distance to Bassar is 360 km and the roads get worse the further you go. But the effort is always worth it.

Our project manager Gbati Nikabou and his team warmly welcomed me and in the following days I was able to get to know many friends and neighbors of our project. Even the prefect of Bassar took time for us, which shows how valued our SALEM work is there.

We have achieved a lot since the foundation in 2000. The tree nursery produces numerous tree seedlings every year, and Gbati is very careful to ensure that they cope well with the climatic conditions and also bring income for the people. For example, trees that are important for nutrition are also planted: Moringa oleifera, mango, cashew, cocoa - but also medicinal trees such as the gujak or neem tree.

 

In a schoolyard I could see trees that we planted almost 20 years ago. It wasn´t a given that these trees survive in the conditions there and makes us all the more pleased 

On our way to the training center in Baghan, we were also able to visit the local hospital. In 2017 we fully financed the renovation of this building. The current condition is good and tidy. When we first saw the infirmary in 2015, it had no doors and goats were running around inside.

In our SALEM forest, which is located on the training center grounds, up to now 2,300 trees have been planted together with the local population. These planted trees will continue to be cared for over the next few years in good cooperation with the population.

Finally, Gbati and I met the mayor of Bassar. He took an hour of his time for us and confirmed that the SALEM work has become an integral and meaningful part of the city over the last 20 years. Of course we are very pleased about this. The support from the city administration is immensely important, also for the safety of the project.

With all these wonderful impressions, I was then able to make the journey home to Stadtsteinach, which was now covered in snow. It was a really worthwhile trip. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported SALEM-Togo over the past two decades. You can find a possibility to donate for SALEM-Togo here.