Hi. My name is Mike. I'm collecting funds to pay for basic school supplies for elementary school students in the small village of Alayi-Kondji, in southern Togo (West Africa).

Basic supplies include notebooks, books, pens, pencils, crayons, an eraser, a writing slate, and some simple drawing tools. Each of the approximately one hundred eighty students will receive a kit of supplies to last them the year. This is my third year raising money for this school. Previously, many students whose families could not afford adequate school supplies would eventually fall behind and drop out of school, or fail to pass the national exam allowing them to move on to middle school.

Many years ago I was a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Togo. A Togolese friend asked me for help for this school. In the past two years we have purchased basic school supplies, portable blackboards to assist differentiated instruction for two grades in each classroom, and a new roof for the school's storage building (a one room building).

While large international charitable organizations address challenges on a much bigger scale reaching far more people, little schools and villages generally do not get a direct benefit. Education is paramount to raising standards of living (and health care) in small countries like Togo. Educated communties will be able to attract business investments in the future.

Our primary goal is to raise $2200 for supplies. Once we reach this goal, we're hoping for an additional $300 toward creating a 501(c)3 organization to help raise future funds. For more detailed information and photos, you can visit our Alayi Kondji web site . Donations are not yet tax-deductible. Should donations exceed our goal, they will be used for additional assistance projects in Togo. At that point, information will be posted here.