"The Sound of Children" and "The International Network of Engaged Children" with the Visions Solidaires association

Context

Citizenship education is one of the priorities of the Togolese Government. Faced with the incivilities of the population, which often lead to the destruction of public property, material losses and the strangling of economic growth in the country, Togolese leaders have realized the need for civic education for citizens of all ages. In addition, in recent years, Togo has experienced a democratic process that has led to multiple social and ethnic conflicts in the country. Citizenship education is a solution which will teach Togolese citizens to live in harmony by being accepting of ethnic and religious diversity. Citizenship education promoted by the Togolese State should also enable citizens to know their rights, duties and the way institutions of the republic function in order to participate more effectively in the country's democracy. Several Togolese NGOs and associations support the Togolese government in its citizenship education activities, including Visions Solidaires.

The children attending the Togolese twin school as part of the Le Son d'Enfants project present their country to you:

Action

The Visions Solidaires association is our partner in the project Le Son d'Enfant in Togo. They teach children in classes in the Zio school and gradually change the attitudes of the school, the children's parents and local politicians towards the right of children to participate and the empowerment of each of the agents. 

Local partner

Visions Solidaires has been our partner in the "Le Son d'Enfants" project since 2015 and is a co-founding member of the International Network of Engaged Children. Visions Solidaires is a Togolese association which provides education for all about citizenship and is in active solidarity with the social classes most in need. It was created in 2008 and is accredited as a non-profit association by the Togolese Ministry of Territorial Administration under receipt number 0163/MATDCL-SG-DLPAP-DOCA. It is particularly active in schools through activities aimed at developing civic engagement among students. To this end, it supports student clubs involved in citizen projects called "Milawoe" Clubs. The term "Milawoe" which comes from the Mina language spoken in Togo means "We commit ourselves to do so". Visions Solidaires, through its approach in schools, intends to train Togolese citizens from an early age so that they become actors of positive changes in society.  

Photo: Children from the Zio school participating in the Le Son d'Enfants project and leaving for Benin meet the children of their twin class, accompanied by the staff of Visions Solidaires and Geomoun.

Through its actions, Visions Solidaires pursues three objectives:

• Promote solidarity, peace and civic engagement through education for all;
• To mobilize society for the implementation of solidarity projects to fight poverty and social discrimination;
• To call on political and administrative authorities on issues related to development, solidarity and world peace.

Samir Abi, one of the founders of Visions Solidaires, came to visit us at the Geomoun office in 2015 and since then, we have never left each other!