#ProudOfOurStudents | The Med’Trotters are off to Togo!
Did you know? This year, the ACM’s Exchange Division is organizing an international solidarity mission to Togo! Thirteen students will have the opportunity to fly there in July to join an organization working to renovate a school. Interview.
Who are you?
We are Anouk Evrard and Claire Boin. We are currently DFGSM3 students at the Faculty, and we also hold elected positions within the ACM. Our role as Vice Presidents for Exchange is to facilitate international exchanges (for both incoming and outgoing students) and inter-CHU exchanges (exchanges between university hospitals during the summer internship).
New this year is this international solidarity project we’ve named “Med’Trotter”!
Can you tell us more about the Med’Trotter project?
Med’Trotter is a project that was conceived by Camille Borne, our former VP of Exchange, in 2019. Unfortunately, due to the health crisis, the project couldn’t come to fruition, which is why we decided to revive it this year!
Specifically, this is a project in partnership with“Espace Hotsi.” It is a Togolese nonprofit organization that carries out renovation projects to improve residents’ quality of life.
This year, the goal is to spend a month helping this organization with the renovation of a school in Wli, near Tsévié.
How will you help Espace Hotsi?
With some hard work! We’ll be helping the association’s members for a month to renovate four classrooms and the restrooms. This is very important because the school serves students from preschool through elementary school, so it will benefit many children.
Since it gets very hot in Togo, we’ll only be able to work on the construction site in the mornings. So we’ve planned to lead workshops with the children and villagers in the afternoons. We’ve come up with several themes centered on art, drawing, sculpture, sports, singing, dancing, and even gardening! Of course, we’ll also help by providing academic support and conducting awareness-raising activities. To do this, we’ve drawn inspiration from the initiatives we carry out during our medical missions. We’ve also reached out to Médecins du Monde to get their guidance on the most effective way to raise awareness. We’re really committed to doing things right.
And then in the evening, it’ll be time for evening gatherings. We want to spend time with the locals and share our stories, cultures, and traditions.
How can we help you bring this wonderful project to life?
This project requires 24,000 euros in funding. These expenses cover not only the construction project itself and the school and gardening supplies we need for the workshops, but also, of course, all costs related to transportation, lodging, and medical expenses for the 13 medical students who are about to set off!
To raise these funds, we have already applied for and received a grant from the FSDIE. This grant will cover the travel expenses for 5 of the 13 students who are going. We have also applied for grants from the CROUS, the JSI (Jeunesse Solidarité Internationale, funded by the Fonjep), and the department. We are currently awaiting the results.
Our final strategy is self-funding. To that end, we’ve set up the “Stand TOGO,” which we set up once a month at the university. Our goal is to sell snacks and, above all, secondhand clothing to fund our trip.
So you can help us by donating clothes you no longer want at the student union office and/or by buying clothes you like when the booth is set up! Nothing goes to waste: clothes that aren’t too worn are donated during outreach drives organized by the ACM’s ISS division!
We have also set up a fundraising page for anyone who would like to make a donation.
Finally, we’re holding a raffle in April! All you have to do is buy a ticket at the student union. The drawing will take place at our Togo booth on April 21! Pins will also be on sale for the occasion, so don’t forget to come see us and follow us on Instagram: @med_trotter !
In a nutshell
