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An in-depth look at the coronavirus pandemic in Togo
Last Updated: 19/01/2021
As of Dec. 31, the Togo ministry of health reported 3,576 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of 68 deaths, 193 active cases, and 3,315 recoveries. Gatherings of more than 15 people are prohibited and varying curfews are in place. Everyone must adhere to preventive measures such as hand washing, masking and social distancing, at all times and in all places.
Some Compassion centers in Togo have been able to safely resume meeting in small groups. Children and youths participate in classes and activities while abiding by local guidelines. Partner churches continue to make regular home visits to monitor the health of children and families, deliver curricula and pray with them. Staff members have been able to safely deliver about 415,000 food packs and 285,000 hygiene kits to families, in addition to providing medical support to 51,000 individuals.
Below, you will find the latest information on how Compassion is currently operating in Togo, including status updates on center openings, letter delivery and gift delivery. This is the most current information we have, though it can change quickly. Please know that all children and their families are being checked in on regularly by staff, either in person or by phone, even if the Compassion center is not open for programming.
Many centers in Togo have restarted programming, welcoming small groups of children and youths for classes and activities. The majority of centers continue to minister to children and families by visiting homes or making phone calls. Because of the generous support of sponsors and donors, they have been able to distribute about 415,000 food packs and 285,000 hygiene kits to children and their families! !
The majority of letters are delayed in Togo, which means it may take longer for you to receive letters from your child. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write! We encourage you to continue sending your sponsored child letters of encouragement and hope. What a joyful day it will be when those letters are delivered!
Gifts continue to be distributed in Togo, although they are currently delayed. In some communities, staff members have needed to disburse monetary gifts to an appropriate, verified caregiver. This applies to family gifts and child gifts (including birthday and final gifts). Families may spend the gift on whatever they consider most important to meet family needs. The caregiver will be notified whether a gift has been designated as a child gift or family gift. The caregiver will decide the best use of the money, recognizing that sometimes purchasing food or paying rent is in the best interest of a child.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of children contract malaria. But when malaria strikes a child in the midst of a pandemic, every decision about his care and treatment becomes complicated and costly.
When the pandemic first struck Togo, 9-year-old Wisdom was living with his grandmother in a small village, and the family was all healthy. But one afternoon Wisdom began complaining of a fever and headache. His aunt, Akoumany, rushed him to the hospital. There, doctors told the family he would need to be taken to a larger clinic in the capital city, Lome.
"What surprised and frightened us was that it all happened in one day,” says Akoumany. “He was not sick before. Everything happened on the same day. The child couldn't speak, and he couldn't even eat."
At the hospital, the doctors diagnosed Wisdom with malaria. His condition quickly deteriorated and became life-threatening. On the third day, his kidneys stopped working. Wisdom’s family had struggled with finances before the pandemic, and now, due to COVID-19, they had lost their jobs. They were afraid of the treatment costs and feared Wisdom wouldn't be able to receive the medical care he needed. That’s when Compassion's church partner stepped in to help. Wisdom was able to receive diagnostic tests and be placed on dialysis.
After weeks in the hospital, Wisdom was finally able to return home. He remembers little about his battle with malaria, but he and his entire family will never forget the way the church stepped in.
"When I woke up, I saw that they put a lot of syringes in my body. I was very scared when I saw this,” he says. “My family didn't have any money, but Compassion saved us. They paid all the hospital fees and I'm sure the money came from the sponsors. If Compassion were not there and if I was not enrolled in the program, I would have died in this disease. Compassion gave me my life back because they did not want me to die. I have regained my joy and smile that the disease took away from me."
Pray for God’s protection and good health for the children of Togo as many of them return to school.