Month: July 2017

I had a privilege to travel to the North of Togo last weekend with fellow volunteers from PDH. Jyoti had to leave for the UK on 3rd July, as she needs to go back to her ITU job (she should have quit just like me) next week, me and Iris have planned for a weekend away in the North. After constant research on Lonely planet guidebook and good reviews from our Togolese interns, we planned to visit Kara. The interns also advised us that we three shouldn’t travel that far on our own, therefore, we asked Ulrich (Male Togolese interns) to give us a company.

KARA 

Kara city lies in Kara region; 413 km north of Lomé, close to Benin on East. I had a privilege to travel to the North of Togo last weekend with fellow volunteers and Ulrich from PDH.

Getting There: 

Well, there are many ways to get to Kara. Did you know that there is an international airport called Niamtougou International Airport; which is also Togo’s second-largest airport after the main Lomé airport. You can get hire a taxi from the airport to your destination. But if you are a budget traveller like us then, you can easily get a bus ticket from Lomé. There are many bus companies that you can choose from. We had purchased our tickets (5,500CF/P) from the office the previous day.

We three girls woke up early in the morning because we didn’t want to miss our bus. We took a taxi (1000CF/p) in a quest to find a bus station for (La Poste). Finding a bus stop was difficult as there was no signboard for the bus stands. It was a maze and we thought that the bus already left us, at this point we three girls were panicking. Whereas Ulrich was relaxed and asking other locals giving us a head message that “we are fine girls- chill foreigners.”

We realised that the La Post bus was late (which is common here). Finally, we got into our bus from the collecting point and the bus boarded at 6:00. I hated the “La Poste” experience as it made frequent stops and allowed other passengers in without pre-paid tickets. Not to mention that our bus did break down on the way. We had a replacement microbus after nearly 2 hours of the incident, standing on heat.

Finally, we reached Kara after approximately 8 hours.

Where to stay?

Googling hotels/ accommodations on the internet wasn’t pleasant for us. There were only a handful of hotels published online. Please don’t rely on the webpage, (it could be many years old updates). I have realised that Togolese aren’t bothered about advertising their business online. Truth be told, the network in Togo is very bad. Hence the reason why people doesn’t bother to grow their business online. But good news folks, when you get to Kara you will find many hotels in Kara ranging from the budget- to the high standard accommodations.

Day 1

We were gutted that we had to stay indoors and cut our trip short but we were thankful for the cool environment. We entertained ourselves by playing card games and eating pringles.

The weather cleared up later, we hired a taxi for 30,000CF for a whole day (we did use Ulrich’s help for the bargain). Great tip- if going abroad and you can’t speak their language then get your local friend; seriously it helps a lot. From physical protection to buying stuff in a local range.

One of the highlights of the north is the UNESCO heritage site; Fortified compounds in the Tamberma Valley. Placed at the foothills of Atakora Mountains in the north-east of Togo, we find Kutammaku region, home of the Batammariba, people of ancient traditions.

We enjoyed and participated during the Tamberma Valley Dance performance. It was great fun! After visiting Tamberma Valley, we drove to Sawakara National Park around 17:00. We were just in time for the afternoon jeep safari.

A moment like this makes me feel like sitting back, soaking at the moment and seeing the world pass by; it is just so beautiful.

The price breakdown for Kandé and the Tamberma valley

• Tamberma Valley (Entrance Fee: 1500CF)
• Togolese (500CF). Student: (300CF)
• Guide (10,000 CF).
• Tamberma Valley Dance performance (5000 CF).
• Drove to Sawakara Park at 17:00
• Safari at Sawakara Park (25,000 CF) 5000CF/p + 5000 jeep

• 

So, Jyoti and I have been in Lomé for nearly three weeks now. We are doing well apart from getting food poisoning, heat exhaustion and the constant worrying of developing malaria, leishmaniasis (sandfly), trypanosomiasis (tsetse fly) and all those tropical diseases that we recently studied in LSHTM.

Okay, let me paint the picture of how things are going on here in Lome’s Central Social PDH (Promotion Et De’velopement Humain). Bit of history now, this NGO was first developed by Antoine Dzakas in 1999 for the sole purpose of helping the vulnerable communities by dealing with requests accordingly liaising with beneficiaries and donors to meet the target. We get numerous clients at the centre asking for help (financially, socially, physically, etc.) In simple terms, this centre is an NHS with limited facilities we can provide.

This is how we start our day. So let’s dive in:

6: 30am  Togolese interns start coming to the centre.

We live in the centre with Antione and his family, so it gives us that advantage, that extra sleep in the morning. We usually wake up around 6:30; we slowly drag ourselves from our cocoon; we crawl downstairs and have breakfast (thé and miche de pain).

7: 00- 8:30

Attend morning meetings. The interns usually report on the following task they had been given: how it went down if they were able to achieve the goal, any outstanding tasks to be completed, and if so, how we can achieve it. Mind that none of this is happening in English. So, Jyoti and I sit there doing what British people are best at doing- sip our tea. Antione reviews all these reports, and he then distributes the daily activities to each volunteer, whether that be a Visite à domicile (Home visit), Visite à l’hopitâl (Hospital visit), or an enquête social (Investigation).

8:30- 12:00

After the meeting is over, we pair up with our partners for a field trip (usually via scooter or motorbike), which is the best part! This is very exciting because we are on an adventure and it is very crucial. Moreover, it is crucial because we have gathered information about the people’s requests (financial support as the husband died, or asking for school support for their kids, medical support, etc.)

Pictures from the field trips

We get to see the real people and actual patients and do our mini-investigation. I want to think that we are detectives, and now we are about to crack the case. It just sounds so cool and motivates me to do our investigations. I have had many funny and heartwarming moments on this journey. This information is now collected and presented to the rest of the team this afternoon.

12:00pm – 15:00 – Lunch/Siesta

I had never known that this most extended break-even existed!! We hardly even have time to empty our bladder at work, and here in Togo, you have entire time on your hands. You literally can cross over the border to Benin and Ghana and still attend your afternoon meeting. So during the siesta, interns usually go out to get some lunch and hang around with their friends. Some prefer to stay at the centre, do their work, or take a nap.

These are some lunches that Rachel prepares for us.

15:00 – 17:00

So after enjoying our long siesta, each pair of volunteers will now share their designated field experiences. Then, finally, they present their case with a proposal to fund their case.

The rest of the groups will vote if they are willing to invest in their presentations and how important the case is. When every team has finished presenting their cases, the whole PDH inters/ international volunteers need to prioritise the case. The voting will determine whether or not to contribute funds or supplies to this case. The most priority cases will be highlighted, and then the international volunteers are asked to set up a “go fund me page”. Our job is to assist and support the NGO in designing fundraising proposals, letters, presentations, flyers, newsletters, and websites ideas for the “Cours de soutien” project.

17:00- 19:00

After the afternoon meeting has finished, we bid goodbyes to our interns. Then, we three (Jyoti, Iris and me) go out for fresh air and our afternoon walk. We also try some Lomé’s street food (which Rachel has been avoiding us doing). Finally, we have our dinner around 19:00. After dinner, we freshen up (having three showers a day is entirely NORMAL here), play board games, practise some French, have girlie talks, do girls’ stuff like try facial, massage and write a short journal before heading to our bed.