Togo, West Africa
Djarkpanga is the capital of the prefecture of Mô located in the west of Togo. Togo is a small country located on the West African coast. It boasts gorgeous, palm-fringed beaches and lush, forested hills. It is also a country of extreme poverty where children face challenges in the quest for education and wellbeing.
Togo Fact File
Capital City: Lome
Neighbouring Countries: Burkina Faso (to the North), Benin (to the East) and Ghana (to the West)
Population: In 2020, it was estimated there were around 8.6 million inhabitants
Life Expectancy: 64.5 Years
Language Spoken: French
Togo is among the smallest African States
Where is Djarkpanga?
Djarkpanga is the capital of the prefecture of Mô located in the west of Togo, in the central region, near the border of Ghana.
It is bounded to the north by the Mô River, to the south by the Koué and Kpaza rivers, to the east by the Fazao Mountains and to the west by Ghana.
The population of the Mô plain is estimated at about 56,512 inhabitants in 2018, compared to 40,000 inhabitants in 2010, 31,000 in 2005 and 27,859 inhabitants in 1996.
The annual population growth rate of around 5.16 per cent has been on a downward trend: it was 8 per cent between 1981 and 1996 and 12 per cent between 1970 and 1981.
Why are we supporting Djarkpanga?
Togo is ranked as the tenth poorest country in the world according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It struggles economically with development undercut by political instability, lowered commodity prices, and external debts. While industry and services play a role, the economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture, with industrialization and regional banking suffering major setbacks.
Insufficient Education
The adult literacy rate in Togo is 63.7 percent, which makes it difficult for Togo to participate in the rapidly evolving global economy. Furthermore, young girls are often not able to attend school because they are wedded off at a young age and many families often have to sacrifice education in order to allocate money to food.
Malnutrition
A UNICEF study found that the rate of severe malnutrition among children under the age of five exceeds 10 percent and is thus higher than the critical level determined by the World Health Organization. The same study also reported that 108 out of 1,000 children will die before their fifth birthday because of malnourishment.
Insufficient Water and Sanitation
There is widespread water insecurity. Only 63 percent of the Togolese people have access to sanitary water available for consumption often leading to the spread of waterborne diseases.
Insufficient Healthcare
The United Nations reported that over 100,000 people live with HIV/AIDS and nearly 68,000 children are left without families as a result—yet absent a robust healthcare system (and the appropriate resources), Togo has a difficult time responding to and controlling disease outbreaks. Life expectancy in Togo is only 65 years.
Child Labour
Child labour prevents Togo from fostering a generation of youth that is equipped to participate in the global economy. Forty-seven percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 are forced to work in agriculture which prevents them from getting an education.
Read about Poverty in Djarkpanga
More than 80% of the rural population of Togo live under the global poverty line. This is certainly the case in the Djarkpanga region, where greater than 15% of this population are officially classed as undernourished.
Read about Education in Djarkpanga
In Togo, primary education, which is free and in theory compulsory, takes 6 years to complete. Secondary schooling takes a further 6 years to complete. Facilities are sparse in far-flung rural places, such as Djarkpanga.