2022-2023 action plan

SPES International, with the help of SPES Togo, monitors 186 children, adolescents and young adults. In addition to helping the children in need in our two villages, it has become essential to ensure the security of our young adults' lives and to help reintegrate into their families, where possible, the children/adolescents entrusted to us by Togolese social assistance (express wish of the Togolese Ministry of Social Affairs). SPES is developing a new aspect of its work: monitoring and supporting families who are able to fulfil their parental role; these families are very poor.

SPES Austria's financial aid, thanks to the generous donations of our donors, focuses mainly on educational support, educational and vocational guidance and training for young people and staff. Since 2022, we have also contributed to the development of two vegetable gardens in the Lomé and Kpalimé centres.

Orientation, formation, soutien scolaire

1. The Ministry of Social Affairs has regularly asked for an action plan each year, indicating the actions aimed at young people, staff and management. It was recommended that the action plan used by the SOS Children's Villages centres be used as a model.
2. We have a large number of children who are failing at school, and we need to carry out an assessment to find out the causes (a few years ago, the former psychologist said that 30% of children had a cognitive deficit). In Kpalimé, 19 children receive speech therapy. In Lomé, we do not know the number of children concerned, but there is the problem of the availability of the speech therapist, who seems unable to provide regular sessions.
3. In order to support children in a satisfactory cognitive situation at school, we need to help them start learning French and reading in CP, CE1 and CE2. In Lomé, the Institute's courses have this objective. The teacher in charge of the children reports regularly on their progress. The groups also include children with cognitive disabilities.
4. Guidance training is being set up in both centres, and it would be good for apprentices to have vocational training in areas other than hairdressing, sewing and cooking. It would be interesting to know more about the sectors with the greatest potential for employment (IT, electromechanics, agroforestry, etc.).
5. The management of teenagers and young adults requires special attention (problems of addiction, violence, early pregnancies), and training courses are in place and are the subject of regular reports.
6. The establishment of two vegetable gardens in 2022 has been a great success, and the centres have also built chicken coops and raised goats. The challenge now is to ensure the long-term future of this project.

The IT sector no longer falls within the remit of the Guidance, Training and Support group. It has been set up as a separate entity, but we will continue to be responsible for training children, with the first courses starting in July 2023.

Feedback in the form of factual, named reports written by the various service providers (psychologist, speech therapist, trainers, etc.) is essential and will provide an overview of the children's progress and the impact of the training. Sponsors need concrete information on how their children are progressing.

The question of funding remains open, but SPES Austria (16 sponsors) has been making donations of between 10,000 and 15,000 euros per year for several years. SPES Iceland (70 sponsorships) is also supporting the vegetable garden project this year with a contribution of 5,826 euros.

Face à l’augmentation des coûts et des besoins, il serait certainement souhaitable comme proposé par le vice-président de SPES International, de recruter un psychologue à temps plein et mensualisé, il aurait la responsabilité du suivi des enfants, des ados et il aurait également la responsabilité d’une partie des formations en direction des jeunes et du personnel.