Blogs from Atakpam , Togo, Africa

As promised I found some time to write some more about what I'm doing besides taking adventurous vacations in Ghana. My main challenge right now is getting ready to move and transition my work from Elavagnon to the much larger regional hub of Atakpame. Themove will take place at the end of July, but I am already working with Cate & Wayne, the current Atakpame SED (Small Enterprise Development) volunteers to prepare myself. They have been introducing me to their contacts, taking me to meetings, and giving me lots of insider information that 2 years of experience here as well as a lot of wisdom have afforded them. I've conducted another strategic planning seminar with the two organizations I'll principally be working with (CREJE and AKARALE, both working with people living with HIV/AIDS and receiving grants ... read more

I had a great mini-vacation to Ouagadougou (Waga), Burkina Faso, followed by an in-service training for business volunteers and an all-volunteer conference, and now I'm ready to get back to work in my village. Waga is a beautiful city, very "developed" with big buildings, wide clean boulevards, good restaurants, and beautiful cinemas. I took a bush taxi trip up the country, so I got to see Kara and Dapaong for the first time, albeit briefly. Kara is especially nice, kind of like Togo's mini version of Waga, and I was impressed with their lush gardens. Then after crossing the Burkina border in Cinkasse, we took a bus (think American-style after about 20 years of hard use, seats falling apart, holes in the floor where you can see the road, but still nicer than bush taxis because ... read more