About Us
The issue:
In Togo, most children in rural areas do not have basic education due to the lack of schools. One high school per 7-15 villages is very common in rural areas of Togo. This means students from most villages’ daily commute can range from 8 to 13 miles (round trip). Most students walk for two hours to reach their school. They often leave their residence at dusk and return after dark. Since there are no streetlights, most students walk in the dark to and from school. Many girls have abandoned school after being raped and or abused in the dark on their way to or from school.
Our mission:
Our organization believes that the goal of any educational system is to equip students with the tools and resources they need to realize and reach their potential. As such, Togo Kids Hope (TKH) aims to address the problem of school dropout by providing free bicycles to children in rural villages.
Togo Kids Hope is a non-profit organization that supplies bicycles to students in Togo, West Africa. Since the distance to school is a major barrier for families in rural villages causing children to drop out along the way, Togo Kids Hope provides a bicycle to every student who walks 4-5 miles (one way) to get to school. Togo Kids Hope have been providing bicycles to young boys and girls since 2010. Since 2010, Togo Kids Hope has impacted over 1200 families by making sure their kids do not drop out of school.
What We Do:
We collect broken unwanted and used bicycles from family members, friends, co-workers, and scrap yards. We often purchase some bicycles from thrift stores if our financial situation permits. Then we ship these bicycles to Togo via cargo ship. For the last 10 years, our organization has been providing bicycles to children in middle and high schools across Togo.
We have donated over 2000 bicycles across the country. Based on feedback received from previous bicycle recipients’ families, their children wouldn’t have been able to complete the school year with good grades. Their children’s travel time has been cut tremendously because of these bicycles. Many Principals and school staff have testified that the rate of absenteeism has also decreased. Tardiness has become rare among the students who were beneficiaries of the bicycles.
How you can help:
Your help is greatly needed through donations of used bicycles; we welcome any monetary donations to ship and repair the bicycles to Togo before deploying them to the pre-surveyed places. We wish to thank you in advance for your support! Every donation, no matter the size or amount, takes us one step closer to achieving our goals. And, because of your generosity, many children will be able to have access to the education that they need.
Togo Kids Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under §501 (c)(3) of Title 26 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Company Biography:
Togo Kids Hopes is a non-profit organization that has been working in Togo since 2010. We are currently located in Gaithersburg Maryland USA; we currently have 21 members. Among the 21 members, 8 members reside in Togo for fields work, and logistics. We are recognized and validated by the state of Maryland and the US federal government. Togo kids Hope is growing as we are partners of other local non-profits organizations and fraternities across the Maryland DC and Virginia Metropolitan area.
