The Allure of Africa

There is something about Africa that draws you in to its embrace.  There is a raw energy here but also a sense of sadness.  I might be making generalizations to say all of Africa so I’ll speak for my life here in Togo.  In Togo, in the bigger cities like the capital, Lomé or one of the major cities like Tsévié, Atakpamé, Sokodé, Kara or Dapaong there are half constructed houses, dilapidated mansions and major government buildings missing letters in their name.  It all seems to exude a longing of what was, what was to be and what could have been.  Here everything is so natural, so imperfect, so human.  This not so apparent as outside the large cities where I live.  There is not the ceaseless drive for perfection, but rather just to live.  The allure and the beauty is in the simplicity in which one can live happily.  I recognize that it might seem like I’m romanticizing Togo where the vast majority of people barely have enough money to buy the most basic medicine and even though I live without running water, air conditioning in 100+ weather, windows, etc. it is a lot better than the living conditions of 99% of Togolese.  I have the luxury of romanticizing Togo.  You feel and smell and hear everything.  Noise is not impolite and being uncomfortable is the norm.  It is not the metallic, sterile environment that many of us live in, in America, but it is the hot sun, the red dirt, the cars which are literally falling apart on the road, the smell of burning trash, the music blasting from blown out speakers, the cuts that become immediately infected and heal poorly.  It all draws a clean line between what we need and what we want.  It is exciting, overwhelming and terrifying all together.

The Library Has Been Completed! (with photo album)

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the completion of the "first" library in Adjengre, Togo.  I especially want to thank all my friends, family and Peace Corps admin that supported me throughout the project.

Just a quick recap:  There is an existing library already in Adjengre adjacent to the Cultural Center (a big concrete room where they occasionally hold town meeting).  It is the size of a closest and has about 10-20 old, useless books.  I really wanted to renovate that library because the location of the library would have been ideal as it is in the exact center of town and therefore easier to access by everyone.  However in the ended I decided to build it in the high school because of the following reasons:

1. Cost: It is the size of a large closet, literally, so the cost of renovating was very, very high.  I would have basically had to build a whole new building.
2. Sustainability: The library is never open because there is no librarian just someone who works at the Cultural Center sometimes.  I have never seen it open when I have been walking by and when I did want to see the library I had to wait an hour till someone found the guy who had the key.  I would then have to pay for someone to be the librarian and that would be impossible to have it be sustainable.
3. Most impact: Sadly, the people who are going to make the most use of out of the library are teachers and students.  There is not a culture of reading or searching for information here.

 All these issues were solved if I constructed it at the high school

1. Cost: The school gave me a room and all I had to do is block up the windows, build furniture and buy books.  A lot, yes, but I didn't have to construct a new building.
2. Sustainability: The school has set up a committee of students and teachers to manage it without me having to direct them.  Teachers and students worked tirelessly everyday to set it up, bring the furniture from the carpenter, etc.  Each student who wants a library card pays 200CFA per year (about 30 cents).  They collect all the money and are saving it in order to buy new books, replace lights, etc.  It is open almost all day, every day.
3. Most impact: There are already 114 students who have signed up for a library card and more every week. The teachers are starting to incorporate the library's resources into their courses.

You have to understand that students don't even have school books, let alone access to the internet and therefore a library, for the majority, is their only access to books and information.

Here is a photo album I put together chronicling the creation of the library!

Building a Library

Thank you!