Help a Family in Togo Rebuild Their Home

In 2012, when I was 17 years old, I packed a Christmas shoebox through First Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND as part of their Operation Christmas Child - Pack a Shoebox effort. I included a small handwritten note along with the gifts. I didn’t think much about it at the time, just hoping it might brighten someone’s day. I never expected to hear anything back. But in 2017, five years later, I got a message on Facebook from a young man in Togo, West Africa. He told me he had received that gift years earlier. At first I was skeptical, but he sent me a picture of my handwritten note that he had kept all of those years.

Since then, we’ve stayed in touch. Over the past decade, we’ve messaged regularly, about everyday life, struggles, and celebrations. When his family ran out of food, I did what I could to help. Over the years I’ve sent him care packages with everything from clothes, a soccer ball, to a computer. I’ve helped him learn how to program and we talk about how he can further his education. We’ve built a friendship that has lasted through the years, even though we’ve never met in person.

Recently, he shared heartbreaking news. His father, the main provider for the family, was in a motorcycle accident. He’s now unable to walk or work, and without his income, the family is facing eviction from their apartment.

They do own a small piece of land outside the city with the unfinished shell of a house on it, their only real hope right now. But the home isn’t livable yet. The roof leaks, there are no doors or windows, and the floor is still dirt.

They need about $1,700 to make the house safe and livable: repairing the roof, adding doors and windows, and laying tile on the floor. I’m hoping to raise $2,000 to give them a little cushion and help them through this incredibly difficult time.

If you’re able to give anything at all, it would mean so much. Your donation will go directly toward making sure this family has a safe place to live.

Thank you for reading, and for caring.