As many of you know, I’ve been on a volunteer nursing mission in Togo the last month. I've been here to carry out health check-ups for the 50 children living at Maison Bethanie in the outskirts of the capital Lomé. I also lived on site, spending a great deal of time with the children.

The NGO Maison Bethanie is an orphanage that has existed for 26 years. Children whose parents have passed away or abandoned them — from just two months old up to 22 years old — live here.

I’ve spent some real time with these kids. Since I lived on site, I got to closely witness not only their joy, resilience, and incredible sense of community, but also their vulnerability and the harsh realities they face. These children have so little, yet they work unbelievably hard In school in the hope of creating a better future than the one they were born into.

Maison Bethanie is really well managed and filled with dedicated adults who do everything they can to give these children the best possible opportunities for the future. But there is one major challenge: they are completely dependent on donations. No donors, no orphanage. The Togolese government give them no funding what so ever.

I want to do something for these kids! They need to have some fun in their not so easy everyday life. I thought we’d get them a basketball court! It’s impossible to bounce a ball on the current court , so I want to help them build a new one. Would you like to help me make that happen? Otherwise it’s going to be very expensive for me alone he he

Thank you!

/Stina