Child sponsorship update from Kara, Togo

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Kara, Togo from Winter 2007/2008

Dear Sponsors, dear Friends,

As we are getting ready to start a new year, we are pleased to express to you our best wishes for the year 2008. We still greatly appreciate your assistance to our country Togo which is timidly making its ways out of its political, social and economic crisis and is not yet able to adequately protect the children in need. The pluralistic parliamentary elections have just ended and Togolese expect that will constitute a new lease to boost the development of the country.

Your generosity enabled us this year to care for 93 children, that is 44 girls and 49 boys

Admission
Eight (08) children have found again a family setting at Vesos Kara. They are a family of three (03) children, a family of two (02) children and a family of three (03) children who are triplets.

Family Life
The children who still have some family ties spent part of the long vacation in natural families; those who have no family reference went into host families. During this period a minimum programme of education was imparted to them in order to complete the assistance given to children.

Academic activities
The pass rate of the last term of the year is 92.80% at the primary school level and 64.70% at the secondary school level.

Training
Like last year, the theme “SOS mothers and their sense of responsibility” was tackled again in the training of mothers and aunts in July 2007. Many other themes were developed during this training session: Food hygiene, sex education and gestures that save in first aid to prevent accidents in the home. One can mention the case of a child who was the victim of an accident in the home (burn) at the beginning of the year and was catered for quickly; presently, he is feeling well.

Still during July, the young girls of SOS children’s village of Kara aged from 12 to 15 were also training in cookery, house keeping and sex education at the social centre of Kara.

Youngsters
The community of young girls’ received during Easter holidays three young girls of the village who were preparing to integrate this community. During this preparatory stay, the three young girls watched sketches based on how to give care. These sketches were prepared and presented by their sisters of the community.

Two boys who were preparing to integrate the community were welcomed in the community of young boys. They participated in everyday activities and in vacation ones like the presentations of and the debates on literature books of their choice; they also took part in story telling, chats about themes proposed by the youngsters together with the Vicar of the Parish Christ Sauveur of Tomdé. The game of Scrabble also brought together the youngsters of the community of young boys, the community of young girls and the youngsters from the surrounding community.

Visits-Donations
On May 29, the Regional Pedagogical Advisor exchanged views with the youngsters of communities and the youngsters living in natural families and homes in the community of young boys. The Continental Youth Development Team arrived at Vesos Kara to have a working session with the Village Educational Team from August 27th to 28th. The children’s village was also visited by many personalities and associations so as to support the action of SOS children’s villages through various donations in cash and in kind.

Projects supporting children and the community

SOS Primary School of Kara
In the city of Kara, the SOS Primary School keeps on being the flag bearer of the primary school education. Thus, like the preceding years, this year also registered satisfactory results with a pass rate of 100% at the Elementary School Leaving Certificate (CEPD). A committee for the defence of Children’s Rights is established in the school; it aims at denouncing any form of violation of children’s rights at school and in families, and at participating in the management of classrooms and the school. On October 17, 2007, the new school year opened and parents came in their numbers to register new and old pupils. In all, 382 pupils including 43 Vesos children (21 boys and 22 girls) started classes at EPHG.

Agricultural Training Institute of Kara
The Youth Training Institute in agricultural techniques recorded satisfactory results following the internal examinations held from July 2 to 7, 2007. In fact, at the end of the Vocational Training Certificate Examination in Kpalime from July 9 to 14, 2007, the school recorded a pass rate of 75%. Practical courses were organised for the learners during the long vacation.

SOS Mother and Child Health Care Centre of Kara
The number of patients to care for increases daily. Up to date, more than six thousand (6,000) people have monthly undergone care at the centre. The centre also welcomed trainees and evaluation missions. The personnel took part in training sessions in the techniques to care for malnutrition and in accidents one may have when exposed to blood. In order to improve its services, two Belgian consultants visited the centre from July 11 to 14, 2007 to participate in the extension project of the centre.

SOS Social Centre for Development and Human Promotion
Faithful to its mission to promote community-based development, the social centre pursues its activities in the fields of its own, which are, assistance/counselling, training and communication, and execution of the family reinforcement programme.

To give beneficiaries more opportunities to choose activities that can generate income, women were initiated into weaving mats with reed. A brass band mostly made of young boys and girls was also set up at the social centre. In addition, the centre participated in the of study “Working opportunities and possible leisure of the children of Kara municipality at school”; it took part in one-day conference to discuss the “Role and Responsibility of Non-trading Companies of Togo in the promotion / protection of human rights” and also in a briefing session on the distribution of a civic education manual that deals with the parliamentary elections in Togo.

Dear Sponsors and dear Friends that is a brief summary of the news from SOS Children’s Village Kara you assist. We thank you and wish you a good and happy new year. We hope to still count on you among our partners.

The National Director

Amina KODJOVI-NUMADO