Women and Community Development? Togolese women are heavily involved in the country's socio-economic life. Almost all of them have an income-generating activity. However, many of them do not have the opportunity to go to school, or leave at a very young age. The literacy rate among women is low, leaving them to fend for themselves in a system that does nothing to help them. ASTOVOT helps over forty women (married, widows, young people) to become economically and socially self-sufficient through investments, training and awareness-raising. AKLALA BATIK Centre ? Aklala Batik's vision is to help vulnerable young girls and women's cooperatives to secure their own financial autonomy through social projects. AKLALA BATIK Centre ? Aklala Batik's vision is to help vulnerable young girls and women's cooperatives secure their own financial independence through social projects.Founded in 2008 by Chantal Donvidé, Aklala Batik, through its sewing and Batik sessions, helps vulnerable young girls to train and earn a living.These young people make items such as loincloths, bags and clothes. The Women and Community Development programme associated with the AKLALA BATIK Centre project aims to contribute to the empowerment of women and young girls and to help them in their personal and collective development.To achieve this, ASTOVOT offers a programme with various components tailored to their needs;
The Women and Community Development programme associated with the AKLALA BATIK Centre project aims to contribute to the empowerment of women and girls and help them in their personal and collective development. To achieve this, ASTOVOT offers a programme with various components tailored to their needs; 1. Training and awareness-raising on informal literacy, gender, reproductive health, sexuality education, women's rights, personal development, etc. 2. Support for cooperatives (savings management, entrepreneurship, social communication) 3. Organising cultural events to showcase their work. For the moment, training and awareness-raising sessions are taking place three times a week. This programme requires the volunteer to spend time researching and documenting in order to prepare the workshops in collaboration with the coordination team and the beneficiaries. THE VOLUNTEER WILL BE REQUIRED TO: ✔ Search for trainers and themes for the training and awareness-raising sessions ✔ Going out into the field to interview and understand the needs of the cooperatives ✔ Propose and provide entrepreneurial capacity-building training courses ✔ Helping to find funding ✔ Set up cultural activities with women ✔ Evaluate and participate in the sustainability of the "women and community development" programme.
To take part in this project, you must be aged 18 or over. Open-mindedness, optimism, interest in women's issues, motivation, initiative, ability to adapt to the realities of Togolese society, etc.
International volunteers working on long to medium term projects are accommodated with Togolese host families. The families are chosen according to their proximity to the volunteer'splace of work. They provide a private room for the volunteers as well as drinking water and 3meals a day (meals are adapted according to the diet of each volunteer). The volunteer remains independent and is free to go out and participate in activities of his/her choice. Living with a host family allows a total immersion in Togolese life to discover all its facets
We recommend not carrying a lot of cash. They should bring bank cards to make withdrawals when they need them for purchases.
It is essential to apply for a visa before flying to Togo. We advise volunteers to apply for a tourist visa, as there is no section reserved for volunteers. ASTOVOT will send you a letter of invitation before you apply for your visa. It prepares the files requested before obtaining the visa. The visa application must be made online via the Togolese government website. Consult the following link for more information: https://voyage.gouv.tg/
ASTOVOT doesn't have any insurance covering international volunteers. Volunteers should contact the sending organisation for more information. It is important for volunteers to have health insurance.
Costs of participation: The participation fee is a contribution requested by ASTOVOT to volunteers participating in international projects. The costs for a project of one (1) to six (6) months : - One month (1): 290 euros - Two months (2): 580 euros - Three months (3): 870 euros - Six months (6): 1740 euros
Financial ressources : The Togolese government does not allocate subsidies to associations. Despite these efforts, ASTOVOT does not receive support from any private or public institution as well as hosting projects. So there is very little financial resources available for projects. As a result, ASTOVOT operates through contributions from its members and the costs of volunteer participation in projects The association therefore places all its work on the intellectual, technical skills, the will, the efforts and the commitment. All these participation fees constitute the budget of the association. To this end, the volunteer's participation costs are used for prospecting, administrative procedures, project execution, purchase of equipment, accommodation and food of volunteers during the stay and follow-up of the project. The allocation of funds : The fees given by the volunteers will be allocated as following: For example: for a participation of one (1) month which is 290 Euros, it covers: • Operation of the association: 100 Euros In the operation of the association, we have: the salary of the permanents/staff, office supplies, communication costs (telephone, internet, fax), electricity costs, Municipal accommodation tax/ accommodation certificate for the volunteer, the conduct of meetings and seminars, etc. • Accommodation and food of the volunteer: 110 Euros The host family receives 110 euros per month, the volunteer is accommodated and is fed three (3) meals per day • Project management (activities): 50 Euros This part covers: prospecting, support for host projects or community projects, follow-up and evaluation of the volunteer on the project and in the host family • The organisation of the reception of the volunteer: 30 Euros ,Travels for the volunteer pick-up at the airport, for volunteer placement in the host family, on the project, and for the integration follow-up of the volunteer on the project and the host family
If you are interested in several projects, please let us know. We will try, as far as possible, to combine several projects. It is usually best to send a list with an order of preference. If you choose a single project and it only occupies a few hours per day, it will be possible to decide how to complete your schedule according to your desires and interests and the needs of our partners. It takes about a month between the acceptance of the project and the arrival on site. Indeed, some administrative steps have to be taken in order to welcome you. Once your project has been accepted, we will send you an official invitation letter
There is an infosheet for each project which contains information on the conditions of participation, contacts, necessary information on pre-trip preparations, arrival in Togo, transport, accommodation, planning of project activities...etc. The infosheet is sent individually to the volunteers after their registration to the projects. If you have any questions about a project or the Astovot association, please do not hesitate to contact us : Email : coordinationastovot@yahoo.fr workcamp@astovot.org
- Find a project that interests you in our Open Projects
- Find your local organisation in your country of residence using our branch locator
- Get in touch with them with details about the project(s) you want to apply to. They will become your sending organisation.
- Any issues? Contact us!
