2021 Update of Project in Togo

Empowering Girls with New Information Technology in Togo

Partner: Crossroads International 

The project was started in January 2020; projected completion is now expected in December 2021.

As a result of the pandemic, all schools were closed in March 2020 and were only re-opened in November 2020. As the normal school year in Togo is from October to June, students lost 5 months of schooling. No distance learning programs were in place.

Renovated school

Six RACHEL servers were purchased in February 2020 and arrived in Togo. Classrooms were renovated to receive the new equipment, i.e., special spaces to hold servers. Staff installed data and tested RACHEL servers for all 5 schools. Academic content for mathematics was uploaded for middle schools and high schools.

A teacher with the RACHEL server

In the spring, teachers engaged in conversations to learn about the Mobile Learning Lab (MLL) and the benefits of the system. Discussions with teachers and leaders of the Girls’ Empowerment Program (GEP) clubs were then held again in November 2020 when schools re-reopened; teachers and club leaders were introduced to the system.

Successes

All girls from the GEP clubs, except those who had graduated, returned to school in November after the extended school closures. The lack of school dropouts or teen pregnancies during the long break speaks to the success of the academic and GEP programming. The project officers kept in touch with the girls from the GEP clubs over the phone during the break and ensured their wellbeing.

A teacher with her students holding their tablets and headphones

180 tablets, headphones and other accessories are now in Togo. This equipment has been securely stored pending official handover to the schools in January 2021. The shipment of solar panels, batteries, cables and other accessories arrived in December 2020 and are currently going through customs approval.

To ensure COVID safety measures are respected in the schools and GEP clubs, project funds have been used to provide masks, soap, disinfectants and equipment for hand washing.

The almost 8-month shutdown means the project completion will be delayed by one year and will finish in December 2021.