Children attentively listening in a classroom, wearing school uniforms with purple checked accents, seated with a chalkboard in the background.

Engel & Völkers Charity

It’s time to share – Our project

A family connection brought Christian Völkers’ attention to a school project in Togo, Africa. His first personal donation sparked further reflections on corporate social responsibility (CSR) at Engel & Völkers. This ultimately led to the creation of the non-profit organization Engel & Völkers Charity e.V., committed to providing sustainable support for educational projects across Africa.

Engel & Völkers Charity

Overview of Engel & Völkers Charity

Engagement at Engel & Völkers

School project "Togo"

Donations

Sponsorships

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Empowering through education – Since 2008

Education is the key to a better future. Yet in Togo – one of the world’s poorest countries – going to school is far from guaranteed. In 2008, Engel & Völkers established the Charity e.V. to provide long-term support for a school project in Nyogbo, Togo. This lasting commitment opens doors and directly improves the lives of children in the community. By continuously expanding the project, we have built stability and reliability – the most essential elements in development work.

A young child writes on a chalkboard while seated at a wooden desk in a classroom, surrounded by books and pencils.

Shaping futures together

Since 2010, the Ecole Privé Engel & Völkers has been providing a space for education in one of the world’s poorest regions. The project began with the construction of a primary school, and through its sustainable development, we are now able to educate over 250 children up to lower secondary level. Our long-term vision is to support every student all the way through the Baccalauréat and beyond. Year after year, the outstanding academic achievements of our students reaffirm the real impact and value of our commitment.

Children in school uniforms holding balloons, smiling in front of a building with green hills in the background.

Direct support, real impact

Thanks to the generous support of Engel & Völkers and its network, the school’s operations are secured for the long term. Engel & Völkers also covers all administrative costs of the association, ensuring that every single donation goes directly to the project and makes a real difference on the ground.

Smiling children in a classroom focus on their lessons while sitting at wooden desks, their backpacks beside them. A chalkboard with writing is visible in the background, capturing a lively learning environment.

For a better future

Through Engel & Völkers Charity, you can sponsor a student at the École Privée Engel & Völkers and make a lasting impact on their education. For just 25 euros a month, you give a child the chance to attend school regularly. Your sponsorship ensures they receive new school uniforms each year, all the necessary learning materials, and two nutritious meals every day, helping them thrive both in and out of the classroom.

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Two smiling children, with one in the foreground wearing a checkered shirt and the other in a camo jacket, outdoors in daylight.

Donate now

On behalf of the schoolchildren in Nyogbo, we sincerely thank you! “Akpe Nawó!” (This is how the children in Nyogbo say “Thank you!”)

Contribute via PayPal

Every contribution matters – no matter the size!

How can I donate?
Engel & Völkers Charity e.V. IBAN: DE09 2007 0000 0070 7240 00 BIC: DEUTDEHHXXX or donate now via PayPal: www.paypal.com/paypalme/engelvoelkerscharity
Donation Receipt
We are happy to issue a donation receipt for contributions of 50 euros or more. Please note that, as a registered association in Germany, we cannot guarantee that tax authorities outside Germany will recognize this receipt.
Allocation of Donations
All donations go straight to the Nyogbo project, with Engel & Völkers covering all administrative costs.

Reflect – Care – Get Involved

What does a sponsorship include? Engel & Völkers Charity gives you the opportunity to sponsor a student at the École Privée Engel & Völkers and provide long-term support for our project. With just 25 euros a month, you can enable a child to attend school and ensure that they receive new school uniforms each year, all necessary learning materials, and two meals per day. At the end of the school year, you will receive a brief report on your sponsored child’s academic progress along with a current photo, so you can follow their development.
How can I sponsor a child? You can start a sponsorship at any time, including with a predetermined duration from the outset. Every contribution makes a difference!

Contact Charity

A young girl in a school uniform writes on a chalkboard with mathematical figures. Several pieces of chalk rest on a tray beneath the board.

Congratulations to our top class!

July 2025: Once again this year, all sixth-grade students at the Engel & Völkers School in Togo successfully passed their primary school leaving exams. Particularly impressive: eight of the ten best exam results in the entire Agou region were achieved by our students. This outstanding achievement is a testament to the dedication of our teachers, the commitment of the children, and the lasting impact of our project. Congratulations to all, and best wishes for continued success at Collège Engel & Völkers!

A group of schoolchildren in uniform stand on steps with a teacher in front of a building with a checkered wall design.

Völkers family opens new secondary school

In a festive ceremony at the end of September 2024, the new secondary school of the Engel & Völkers Charity in Nyogbo, Togo, was officially inaugurated. The celebrations were attended by local politicians, teachers, parents, and supporters. Among the guests of honor were three generations of the Völkers family, whose commitment played a key role in the further development of the school. Oscar Völkers, the son of the founding family, traveled together with his mother Ninon Völkers and his grandmother and project founder Ingrid van Aalst. Their presence highlighted the family’s strong connection to our educational project and the special importance the Völkers family places on promoting education in Togo.

“It is a privilege to be part of this important moment today,” said Ninon Völkers. “Education is the key to changing the future.”

Thanks to your support and the dedication of the Völkers family, we can offer the children in Nyogbo new opportunities and better access to education. Every single contribution helped make this project possible – for that, we extend our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the entire school. Together, we continue on this path and look forward to the positive changes we can achieve together.

A diverse group of people stands together smiling in front of a large building with multiple balconies.

A milestone for education in Togo

After many months of intensive construction, the time has finally come: just in time for the start of the new school year in September 2024, we are opening our secondary school in Nyogbo, Togo. The results are impressive: the new classrooms on the upper floor provide a bright and calm learning environment, ideal for focused study. With this expansion, the Engel & Völkers School now offers education up to the equivalent of lower secondary school.

This development represents a major step forward for us, as the outstanding exam results of recent years demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of our education. We can now continue to support 250 children in the higher grades and guide them along their educational journey.

Thanks to your support, we are able to make a lasting improvement in the lives of many children in Nyogbo. Education is the key to a better future, and together we can give children access to it. For this, we extend our heartfelt thanks – on behalf of the children of Nyogbo: “Akpe na wò”!

Top results for Engel & Völkers school

The success story of the Engel & Völkers School in Nyogbo, Togo, continues: once again in 2024, all graduating students passed their exams with flying colors! This year, students from the Engel & Völkers School achieved the top four places, as well as sixth and eighth place, across the entire Agou district.

We warmly congratulate all students and wish them a successful start at Collège Engel & Völkers, which will open with the new school year.

A group of smiling children in school uniforms pose together outside, surrounded by vibrant plants and a beige building.

Oscar Völkers visits Engel & Völkers school in Togo

The atmosphere at the Engel & Völkers School in Togo was fantastic: Oscar Völkers, son of company founder Christian Völkers, visited our school project together with a friend. The two 17-year-olds wanted to spend part of their school holidays in March 2023 helping on site, in order to gain a better understanding of the situation and the needs of the local people. The News-Board editorial team spoke with Oscar Völkers:

Oscar, what motivated you to visit the school in Togo?

OV: I had heard a lot about the school project from my family and felt the need to connect with it personally. I also wanted to gain new experiences.

How long were you there, and what were your main activities?

OV: We were on site for 17 days. In the classroom, we entertained the children through games and played football with them during breaks. In addition, we helped build walls to actively support the construction and expansion of the school building. We also had the opportunity to meet the mayor, teachers, and school directors, and, of course, to explore the village of Nyogbo and the local culture.

Did the visit turn out as you expected, or was anything surprising?

OV: The village is much more remote and poorer than we expected. However, there are more teachers and more children at the school than we thought. The school really is a “hotspot.” We could see that the entire village is proud of it.

What was your most memorable experience, or what did you enjoy most?

OV: The most memorable moment was when we greeted the children for the first time. I had never seen such joy on so many faces at once. Experiencing this firsthand really made me understand the importance of this project.

We sincerely thank both of them for their dedication!

A large group of children and adults pose together in front of a school building with a sign above the entrance.

100.000 bricks for Togo

Education is the future. That’s why Engel & Völkers wants to help where education is not a given. Since 2008, our school project in Togo, West Africa, has enabled more than 200 children to take their first step toward a secure future. Now it is time to take the next step: by building a secondary school, we can ensure that children can continue their education after completing primary school.

The plan is to expand the existing school buildings so that older children can remain part of the school community. Seven new rooms will be created: four classrooms and three specialized rooms, which will also serve as a multipurpose hall. To make all of this possible, we need a total of 100,000 euros. Please help us achieve this wonderful goal!

With a donation of 25 euros for a “stone package,” you can directly support the construction progress! Just 25 bricks make a visible difference in the walls of our new secondary school.

A group of young students in uniforms sit at desks in a classroom. One child raises their hand. A chalkboard is visible in the background.

Morning assembly at the school in Togo

Every morning at 7:30, all the children of the school gather in the schoolyard for the morning assembly. At the start, one child is allowed to raise the flag while the others watch attentively. Afterwards, everyone sings together before the school day officially begins.

Following the assembly, the classes go to their respective classrooms and start their lessons. The morning assembly has thus become a fixed and reliable part of the school routine.

Aerial view of children in uniform gathered outside a school building with a flagpole, surrounded by trees, on a cloudy day.

Students Prepare for Exams in Togo

On June 15, 2020, the “École primaire privée” in Togo reopened its doors to students. Like all other schools in the country, the school from the E&V Charity project had been closed for many weeks due to the coronavirus. “Unlike in Germany, our students did not have the option to attend classes online, as the necessary technology was not available to them,” says Ina Schlüter, Board Member of Engel & Völkers Charity e.V. “For this reason, Principal Samuel Yawo Kutuadu provided the entire graduating class with learning materials during the school closure.”

The joy of reopening the school and seeing students gradually return to the classrooms is immense. “The graduating class returned first, of course wearing masks and keeping their distance,” says Ina Schlüter. We wish all students the best of luck for their upcoming exams!

Students in a classroom, wearing red masks, seated at wooden desks with names. Chalkboards with writing are on the wall in the background.

Ninon Völkers honored with Condé Nast Award

The Spanish edition of the renowned international travel and lifestyle magazine Condé Nast Traveler honored Ninon Völkers with the “Human Values Condé Nast Traveler Award” for her charitable work with Engel & Völkers Charity. The magazine recognized her outstanding commitment to the Engel & Völkers school project in Togo, West Africa. The award ceremony took place on April 24, 2014, at the Jardines de Cecilio Rodriguez in Madrid.

Ninon Völkers is the wife of company founder Christian Völkers and the initiator of Engel & Völkers Charity, which was established in 2008. In May 2009, the foundation stone for the Engel & Völkers School in the Togolese village of Nyogbo was laid, and the school was successfully inaugurated in 2010. The charity provides support including furniture, textbooks, and school uniforms, as well as planning for additional buildings on the campus and long-term financing for teachers and ongoing operational costs. Currently, Engel & Völkers Charity enables around 200 children in Nyogbo to attend school.

For Ninon Völkers, it is a personal mission to be actively involved in the work of Engel & Völkers Charity and to continuously raise public awareness of the nonprofit organization’s activities.

Ninon Völkers in a red dress holds the Human Values Condé Nast Traveler Award on stage.

Where education creates a better fife!

Contact

Engel & Völkers Charity e.V.

Vancouverstraße 2a

20457 Hamburg

+49 (0) 40 36 13 10 Get in touch