Date of foundation of the YMCA: 1903
Full / Associated / Related membership in the World Alliance of YMCAs: full member of the World Alliance of YMCAS since 1991.

Countering STIs, HIV and AIDS

The YMCA of Togo has engaged in the fight against STIs, HIV and AIDS by participating in many projects:

• New Choices for a New Africa project highlighted adolescent reproductive health issues with a strong component on STI and HIV. It was an initiative of four national movements in West Africa (Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo) with technical assistance from the YMCA of the USA and financial support from the Packard Foundation.
  
  
• “CIDA 3 Project” in partnership with the representative office in Togo of the CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency).
  
  
• From Crisis to Opportunity is an in-school sexual reproductive health project funded by the YMCA/YWCA of Sweden through AAYMCAs for national movements of Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Kenya and Togo.
  
  
• Y’s Men International supported a prevention initiative from 2006-8, assisting women living with HIV and AIDS.
  
  
• A prevention  project initiated by the YMCA was supported by the Lome office of UNICEF to implement locally the MOU signed by the World Alliance and UNICEF.

These initiatives contributed to educating young people but also created leadership practice opportunities for them in many ways. Attitudes and practices changed positively, young leaders emerged and lives changed - see testimonies on impact of programmes. 

Our current focus is HIV prevention with out of school youth and mother to child prevention.
 
Promotion and protection of human rights

Youth justice action campaign
The youth justice project empowers and capacitates youth for prevention and advocacy actions. The juvenile justice issue is very critical and Y Care International and YMCA are speaking out, conducting advocacy and sensitisation activities in the field.

Justice and rehabilitation for young offenders
This project aims to accelerate trial procedures for young offenders and to assist them in preparing for their reintegration in the community through skills training during their detention period. When they are released, they are provided with assistance to return to school or start skills training for better reintegration.

Children’s education project
Cité George Williams Local Union in Lome runs a Children’s Education project which provides support to the most needy school boys and girls in the quarter where they operate. During the last academic year, more than 60 school boys and girls received school stationery and academic support from YMCA members. The Local Union has already launched an operation to collect materials for the project.   

Peace building
After one of YMCAs participated in a peace education programme of Vancouver YMCA (Canada) in 2006, this initiative peace building initiative started. Conflict is one of the big challenges the world is facing today. In order to mitigate the effects of conflict, we need to engage in open and frank dialogue, share experiences on conflict and peace, and create space for young people - especially children - to acquire the knowledge and aptitude to live in peace with others. Youth from Cité George Williams are working in partnership with Akofa School on a pilot project.
 
CAFAP
CAFAP (Centre d’Accueil et de Formation Agropastorale - Hosting and Agro pastoral Training centre) affords the YMCA the opportunity to organise and host training sessions to strengthen the capacity of members.

Summer camps programmes

Togo YMCA has a long history in youth work camps as well as training camps. Since 2006 a new approach has been adopted, with CAFAP and the communities around in Bagbe area. In summer 2006, YMCA organised a work camp which involved collecting data in seven communities in the area. After the camp, leaders of Bame community approach the YMCA with a view to a partnership relationship. During 2007 camp in Bame, participants were involved in cultural activities, civic education and reforestation. They also assisted the community in fundraising for water provision. The 2008 camp hosted four Scouts and Guides participants from France. Participants organised summer school for students, cultural activities and birth certificate delivery  for children and adults. They planted 150 orange trees in the community. The next steps will be to mobilise the necessary means for water provision and build a community health centre.    

Impact of programmes

Testimonies from young people who have participated in our programmes tell of the huge change in their lives.

Jacqueline (student, 16): Before I was identified and selected by the YMCA to become a peer educator, I was in permanent conflict with my parents. After training and a little experience on the ground, I became able to normalise my relationship with my parents and I understood the real sense of my life.

David (student, 17): As a peer educator, I learnt to be responsible in life. I got tested and other friends followed me to do the same. Very often families and young people who want counselling ask me to help and I feel so proud because I am useful to my family and to society thanks to the YMCA.

Awanago (radio presenter): The human rights programme workshop in which I participated made me more aware of the rights of offenders. It made me change my misconceptions which had led me to detest them. I also learnt to respect people regardless of their sex and personality.

Dally: The survey in which I participated on the youth justice project helped me understand the social injustice facing youth and children. Since that day, I speak out against it at any circumstance. I can now work with any socio-professional category in society, such as policemen, soldiers etc. I thank YMCA.

M. (ex offender, 20): My life was a catastrophe before I met the YMCA on the Justice and Rehabilitation project. I was a gangster, stealing everything and using all kinds of drugs. YMCA gave me the opportunity to change my life. I abandoned all my bad habits. Moreover, I have been learning tailoring for eight months. This will ensure me a better life.

Jules (student, 25): My connection with YMCA was redemption. Before that I believed that everything I could do depended only on my parents. There was no idea of order and planning in my mind. The trainings on leadership I went through in the YMCA made me able to handle my future, help other young people and develop other capacities.

In accordance with Paris Basis, the Togo YMCA mission is:  
•    To put into practice principles and values of Christian Faith, mobilising human and material resources, and being voice for voiceless, in order to build a society of peace and social justice.
•    To work for improvement of quality life through various participatory programmes allowing all to feed themselves, to treat themselves and to educate themselves in a clean and abundant environment.
•    To promote among members of civil society a culture of leadership and excellence based on shared values.

Number of local associations: 21
Number of total members and participants: 200 members,
650+ participants
Men: 596
Women: 54
Under 30: 435 (2/3 of total)
Number of staff: 18
Number of volunteers: 110
Men: 85
Women: 25
Under 30: 60
Partnerships with: Y care International, CVJM Berlin, Africa Alliance, World Alliance, YSA USA, Y’s Men, Sweden  YMCA/YWCA, UNICEF, Ministry of  Justice; Prisoniers sans Frontière
Networking with: BIG 7, FONGTO (Togo NGO Federation),  WANEP (West Africa Network for Peace Building),

The Togo YMCA was established in 1903 under the Bremen Mission. The YMCA was considered to be a gathering of the Togo Evangelical Presbyterian Church until 1982, when it made many strides in reaching out to communities around the country and then regained its autonomy in 1992. It was confirmed as member of the world Alliance on 24 August 1991, and duly registered as a civil society organisation / association in 1994.

Togo YMCA used to be one of the strongest in Africa until 2004. Due to internal conflict which was related to the political unrest in the 1990s, the movement lost most of its human resources and the biggest community development programme in 2004. Presently the movement is recovering from the effect of the crisis. We have 21 local Unions coordinated within four Regional Unions around the country. In order to build better YMCA, the movement has been recently selected by the World Alliance of YMCAs to go through the Global Operation Plan (GOP) for movement strengthening. The Opening workshop for Togo GOP took lace in Bagbe in June 2008.