David Cam
// Orphanage and Shelter
02
// From the very beginning in 2008, the goal of our activities in Togo was to create a shelter to house the particularly numerous orphans and street children living in Atakpamé. This goal has now been achieved.
At first, we had limited funding. We started by launching our sponsorship program, hoping that we could one day create our shelter—our sanctuary.
In 2010, our organizations acquired 25 acres of land a few kilometers from Atakpamé to construct the shelter. At the end of 2011, the totality of the funding needed to build this structure was obtained.
Construction began in early 2012, with the goal being to build a shelter that could permanently house 30 children and an additional 20 more for day care.
The orphanage currently includes: 10 rooms for children (3 occupants per room), 3 rooms for employees, a dining hall, a kitchen, a storage room for food, a library, a game room, an interior playground, a management office, a small waiting room, and a large central straw-roofed lodge used for day care, games, and artistic and play activities.
In February 2013, we organized a pre-inauguration ceremony, during which we put up the orphanage’s door plaque. This plaque is meant to pay homage to our principal donor, the late Melvin R. Seiden, as well as to his wife Janine Luke. Once more, we would now like to take the time to thank all of our donors for their support.
In the field, we continue to work passionately, making strides every day. As a result of this work, we will be able to open our shelter in late August/early September 2013 at the latest, allowing us to accept children just in time for the start of school!
We have plenty of ideas to make our shelter efficient and self-financed...you can see these in the section “Future Outlook”.
We thank you for your support: it allows us to turn these projects into a reality!
The central lodge of the orphanage is the centerpiece of the structure.
It measures more than 25 meters across and can house children for play activities, meals, etc.
It is a building that traditionally holds an important place in Togolese culture, and we are very proud of it.