In July, through the ACM exchange program, 13 students had the opportunity to fly to Togo as part of a solidarity project for an association working to renovate a school. An evening event was organized to showcase the International Solidarity Project, featuring a film screening! Feedback.

How was your trip?

The trip went wonderfully well. We obviously had a lot of concerns because, although the project had been planned three years ago, it had never come to fruition due to the health crisis. We were the first to leave, but the trip went well in terms of the preliminary project (fundraising, grants, raffle, etc.), safety, relations with the Togolese volunteers and the children, and the construction site. Our arrival was also well prepared by our local partner association, Espace Hotsi, which accompanied us from our arrival at the airport until our departure, including managing accommodation, meals, transportation, etc.

What were your responsibilities?

Our main mission was to help renovate four kindergarten/primary school classrooms and latrines. The support was primarily financial, as we funded the materials and volunteers (approximately $4,500). We also provided human resources by supplying additional labor on the construction site.
In the afternoons, we organized games and workshops with the village children who volunteered (painting, dodgeball, etc.). We also attended the school's end-of-year ceremony, where the academic results were announced. We took this opportunity to provide the students with the school supplies they need for the start of the 2022 school year, thus ensuring equal opportunities, as not all children can afford to pay for the required supplies.

What have you put in place?

The project involved renovating the stairs (masonry), roof, gutters, and painting (we sanded and repainted the exterior and interior walls).

Have you encountered any complications that you did not expect?

We can't say that we encountered any real complications. We had prepared ourselves to be bothered by the different hygiene standards, but we ended up adapting quite quickly (adaptation is quick when we have no choice). So, we were mainly surprised at first by how independent the children were, even from a very young age (sometimes a 5-year-old child would carry and look after their 1-year-old sibling). We also noticed cultural differences in romantic relationships and how they are conceptualized. Apart from the culture shock that is inherent in this kind of experience, we didn't really encounter any major complications. It's simply a matter of adapting to all aspects of life in a country where the lifestyle is the opposite of what we know in Europe.

Before your trip, you approached Médecin du Monde. How did you go about raising awareness?

We initially contacted Médecins du Monde, who were very keen to support us in this venture, but unfortunately, after several follow-ups, we heard nothing further from them. We therefore prepared awareness-raising sessions, but in practice, this proved much less straightforward than we had anticipated. Firstly, because not all of the children speak French well, depending on their age (they learn French at school as it is the country's official language). And they also wanted to play with us and do physical activities. The disparity within the group therefore prevented us from carrying out our awareness-raising activities as we had hoped. This aspect of the mission is therefore an area for improvement for next year.

How did the experience impact you?

That's quite a difficult question. I think we all needed time after we got back to "digest" everything we had experienced. We don't claim that this trip completely transformed us and that we are now new people. But this experience certainly left its mark and taught us a lot from a human perspective. Sometimes it's good to get a wake-up call, and we can say that what we experienced was a real cultural, social, and human whirlwind. Now that we're back, we're still the same medical students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty, caught up in our daily routine, but not a day goes by without me thinking back on that trip to Togo. I don't know if this experience will make me a better person or improve my future practice as a doctor, but it has certainly given me something.

What is your assessment?

I am pleased to say that the outcome of this mission has been extremely positive. Of course, there is room for improvement in terms of pre-departure management, money management on site (difficulty in withdrawing cash), and preparation and adaptation of awareness-raising activities. But the mere fact that we carried out the mission successfully is an achievement in itself. What's more, we are certain of the usefulness of our action, as we are in contact with Étienne, the school principal, who regularly sends us videos of the children attending classes in their newly renovated building. This project is therefore obviously worth repeating, while trying as much as possible to improve on the minor hiccups of this year.

Do you have any new projects?

The new Vice Presidents in charge of Exchanges within the Association Carabine Montpelliéraine recently presented this year's new project to medical students, which consists of returning to Togo with the Espace HOTSI association. We are convinced that continuing this mission is essential for another year. The format of the project remains the same (renovation work, construction, academic support, etc.), but the details are still to be defined with the new Med'Trotters team, which will be selected shortly.

Discover the Med'Trotters' adventure in this video!