In most all of the villages that I visited in Togo, we were greeted and hosted by the village chief, flanked by his most honorable counselors. After a round of introductions and greetings, the chief, dressed in all of his best African regalia, would express his personal appreciation for all of the good things that ADRA was doing in the village. The words, spoken in the native dialect, would be translated into French, the official language of Togo, by the local ADRA worker, and then be passed onto me in English by the ADRA country director, who admits to only ten weeks of study in the French language. Still, regardless of any words that may have been lost in translation, the message was clear, if only by the warm expressions on the faces of the chief and his staff, that they were extremely grateful for ADRA coming to work in their village. No other agency had come to help them. The things that ADRA were doing were transforming the village and the lives of his people.

This requisite meeting of protocol, typical of many of the villages that I visit around the world, as colorful and delightful as they may be, can often be a little frustrating to a photographer. Usually my time in a village is very limited and every minute eaten up by one of these meetings means that I go home with fewer photographs and video clips. However, here in Togo, the expression of appreciation was so warm and genuine that I found myself more then once moved to tears.

In one village, after a wonderful presentation of traditional music and dance, some of the ladies in the village presented a skit that illustrated how so many of the pregnancies in the village ended up with a still-born child. The expression of grief and sorrow, presented by the actress, as she was handed her lifeless bundle, was so convincing that I suspected that she had had this experience in her real life, possibly more then once. Though I was trying to film the skit, I found myself lowering my camera to brush away a tear. Then the tone of the skit changed. Time had passed. ADRA had come to work in their village! Now, with the education that they were receiving in health, nutrition and sanitation, now, with the new health clinic that ADRA Canada was building in their village, babies were being born in health and vigor! Everyone was happy and celebrating!

Perhaps the visit that left the deepest impression on me was the village of Kpedzi. As our ADRA vehicle pulled to a stop, we were approached by a man wearing a bright ADRA T-shirt. At first I thought he must be a member of the co-operative group that ADRA organizes in the villages that they work in. But then I was told that this was the village chief! Laying aside his traditional regalia, this man had donned a plain white T-shirt to show his appreciation and alliance with the work that ADRA was doing for his people. I was impressed! This changed quickly to amazement as the chief greeted me in fluent English. As Togo is a former colony of France, this language skill, demonstrated by a rural village chief was rare! In my honor, he had prepared a speech in English, of which I was presented a copy as we were leaving. I want to share it here because I believe that it encapsulates the emotion experienced by so many villages around the world in which ADRA and other agencies of community-based development, work.

Here is the speech verbatim.

“I have the honor, the most respectful, to welcoming you, on behalf of the peaceful population of Kpedzi and its surrounding villages. We, the entire populations, are indeed very glad to thank and congratulate your Excellency, for all the marvelous, gigantic and tremendous works carried on within our locality by your industrious Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

Through your initiatives and your dynamic impulse, our communities will generate into happy, perfect, peaceful homes, and we are ready, eager and confident to join our efforts for the success of this noble ambition.

Our communities must re-organize to develop themselves and enable the populations to imitate ADRA progressively.

We wish your Excellency to extend our sincere greetings to ADRA wherever you meet them in every color, White, Black, Yellow, Red and Brown. Please! Tell them on our behalf, how good you are, generous you are, lovely you are and so kind you are to all, without discrimination.

Long live Kpedzi, and long live ADRA!”

The speech was punctuated by the villagers themselves, with enthusiastic dancing, singing, clapping, and the beating of African drums. Once again I found myself brushing away a tear. In the future I must not be so intent on “getting the shot”, that I miss the opportunity of hearing the expressions of gratitude.

So what is it that ADRA Canada is doing here in the villages of Togo that was bringing such a show of gratitude? Was this some multi-million dollar program of roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and water systems? Knowing ADRA Canada’s limited budget, and how it specializes in small projects for maximum efficiency, I knew this was not the case. And yet, even though it was a small project, it was being received as a comprehensive, life-changing program in every village that I stopped. “If I was to tell you all of the things that ADRA has done in my village, we would be here all day”, said one lady that I interviewed.

The program, officially called “Rural Health and Income Generating Project” actually targets about twenty key elements of daily life in the village. ADRA workers actually move into the villages that they work in and live among the people that they are instructing. Everyone in the village is invited to attend the “Life-Skills” workshops. Over the course of several months, often right under a mango tree, the people learn for the first time some of the most basic life-principles that we take for granted. How diseases are caught and transmitted, the importance of cleanliness and sanitation, the value of balanced nutrition, how to grow, process, preserve, and cook new foods for healthier lives, and how to have peace and harmony in the family by breaking down traditional gender roles and a more equal sharing of the work, are just a few of the life skills learned in the program.

Participants are encouraged to form a village co-operative where they come together to share their experience one day a week, as they work together on some income generating activity. Here they use their local knowledge or a new skill introduced by the ADRA workers to make simple products that can be sold in the local village markets. Some make baskets, brooms or weave small ropes, others may do tie-dye, still others may make simple medicines such as talcum powder or a vapor rub.

Over the course of a few months, the group fund accumulates and they are able to deposit the money with a micro-credit bank to be used as collateral for small loans for individuals in the group. These small loans are used to accumulate the tools necessary to start their own small income generating activity that effectively launch families out of subsistence poverty into a new life of income and commerce where they are now able purchase small items for their home, expand and grow their small business, and finance their children’s education. Now, instead of sending their twelve-year old daughter to a nearby town to work in virtual bondage for another family, parents will be able to keep her at home and hopefully have enough money to even send her to school!

One of the ladies that I interviewed, helped me understand how the program was helping her. She said, “It is true that before ADRA came, I knew how to make baskets. But back then, I would only make one or two baskets and take them to the market. Because I was so desperate for food for my family for that very day, I would agree to a very small price for my baskets, just so that I could bring home a little food from the market. Now that ADRA has come to help our group, my business skills have improved. Now I am not so desperate. If people are not willing to pay what the baskets are actually worth, I can bring them home and sell them another day. I now have a large inventory of baskets and people are paying the full price!”

What a nice program! Simple, inexpensive and effective!

One morning, as I was filming the activities going on at the rivers edge of one of the villages where ADRA was working, I saw something that I had never seen before in all my years of photographing the work of development. It stood as an emblem that even the instruction of gender equality was getting through and causing positive change. There, on a rock protruding out of the middle of the river, was a husky African man, doing the family laundry! It was working!

One of the stops on our schedule was a village where ADRA had not yet started working in. The idea was to be able to show a contrast between a village where ADRA has had an influence and where it has not. We were running behind schedule and there was some debate as to whether or not we should take the time. It was thought that the differences may be to subtle for the cameras to pick up. But, the promise had been made and the village was waiting for us so we decided to make the stop. I am glad we did! Even if the camera could not pick it up, Todd and I did. The ADRA villages were always swept clean every day and the children seemed happy and healthy. In this village the children were sick and the ground was covered with trash and animal waste. The contrast in smell and sight was distinct and amazing. It made me proud to be affiliated with the work of ADRA and thankful for all that they have been able to do here in Togo. I hope that ADRA Canada will be able to expand their wonderful work here until all of the villages are “ADRA villages”.

When the chief of the village wears an ADRA T-shirt, you know you must be doing something right!