Our international actions

Our current partnerships in Togo

In Togo, as in many other parts of the world, access to affordable and reliable transport is essential. Long distances between villages, schools, workplaces and health centers make daily life difficult for many families. Through cycling, we aim to help local communities overcome these obstacles and promote access to education, employment and healthcare, while stimulating the local economy.

Hand in hand with our local partners, we have set up a collaborative working model, and together we form a team dedicated to improving mobility. We’re not just bike donors. We are partners committed to transforming local communities and their living conditions.

Écho de la jeunesse

Founded in 2006 in Lomé, the NGO Écho de la Jeunesse is committed to promoting local development in favor of the most vulnerable populations. It implements a variety of actions in the fields of childhood, education, health, culture and the environment.

The MECANO project

The Mecano project (Maison d’Entretien des Cycles et des Arts pour une Nouvelle Orientation) was initiated in autumn 2013 with the aim of making cycling accessible as a means of transport and fostering economic and social empowerment.

The project has two components

Our collaborative approach is not limited to bike distribution. We believe in empowering local communities. That’s why, in 2016, with the aim of better equipping beneficiaries, a new community and vocational training centre was launched in Sanguéra, 15 km from the capital. Today, this centre houses a training room, a bicycle store, a warehouse as well as administrative offices.

Above all, the centre offers three-year vocational training in bicycle mechanics and entrepreneurship to young girls and boys from disadvantaged backgrounds who have dropped out of school. At the end of their training, they leave with a state-approved diploma and the opportunity to set up their own bike repair business. Every day, this centre becomes the place where dreams take shape, skills are developed, and lives take a new turn.

Terre des jeunes

The Terre des Jeunes organization, based in Lomé, is dedicated to fostering the social, cultural and environmental engagement of young Togolese with their community. Composed mainly of passionate young volunteers, the organization is dedicated to protecting the environment, combating climate change, and preserving the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

OUR GOALS

The ECOVELO project, inaugurated at the end of 2016, is committed to improving people’s mobility by offering a means of transport that is both ecological and economical, while encouraging the practice of cycling. Its targeted beneficiaries include first and foremost young people, offering them the opportunity to get to school more easily, as well as farming families, in order to support them in their journeys, thus promoting greater efficiency.

In addition to its main objectives, the bicycle is a cross-cutting element in the organization’s various actions. For example, it helps to facilitate the supply of drinking water, a crucial issue for many communities.

Finally, the ECOVELO project generates employment opportunities through the repair and sale of bicycles, which are available at 8 distribution points across the country. Through this project, we are working towards more sustainable mobility and the creation of new career prospects.