Since its foundation, the IPA association has always had a clear purpose: to support the village of Avedjé in Togo in every possible way. The infant mortality rate is still very high, and most of the cases are due to infections derived from non-drinking water. Dirty water that causes what for us is simple dysentery that however can prove fatal. As happened that year: more than 10 children between the ages of 2 and 10 years, only in the community that the association deals with, died of dysentery.
In Togo, a litre of water costs the equivalent of one euro cent. Activating a network of contacts and people the association asked all those who chose to contribute to set aside all the 1, 2 and 5 cent coins that were not used to then change money in the bank and make transfers to support the community. Still today it is one of the methods of raising funds to be allocated to the community continuously.
However absurd and non-priority it may seem, a law in force in Togo prevents student football teams from participating in local tournaments unless they have a wetsuit representing the school or the team itself. So after years of activity, we were doing a lot to improve the health of children, but for their dreams? There was in fact a tournament in which the boys wanted to participate but couldn’t because they didn’t have enough uniforms.
Once back in Ostia we told our experience to the people of the territory, in particular, we turned to those who orbited the teams. Once again the net was doing wonders.
In collaboration with A.S. Ostiamare, S.S Romulea and A.I.A section of Ostia Lido who donated the necessary material (one suit per team, balloons, referee uniforms, flags, whistles) we had the opportunity to return to Togo in 2016 and form two teams.
And we did more. On that occasion, one of the volunteers was also a referee as he had attended with attestation the course promoted by A.I.A. For this reason, we were able, even if in a completely informal way, to educate the boys with knowledge and basic skills about arbitrage.
The same year, we built an orphanage.
This project was born from the need to give a place to children to call home, a stable place to grow and cultivate their dreams. Until now, in fact, the young orphans we care about were generously accommodated by the families of the village who in turn opened the door of their humble home.
The facility was designed to make the community even more self-sufficient and secure. A U-shaped block also includes a vegetable garden and a small farm, which made young people productive and self-sufficient also in terms of food.
In October of the same year, the orphanage was inaugurated by the bishop of the diocese of atakpamé. To date, we continue to send funds to support the education of children and we are planning a massive intervention for the reconstruction of the village primary school.
