It’s time to share

Success is a wonderful thing. Sharing that success even more so!

We believe that our business operations are inextricably linked with a duty to act in a socially responsible way. That is why we have founded the Engel & Völkers Charity e.V. in october 2008 to actively support a primary school project in Togo, West Africa. Aided by the generous support of our employees, Licence Partners and the Engel & Völkers Management Board, we are aiming together to finance the building of a primary school in this village, which will educate more than 200 children on a daily basis in the years to come.

Perceiving the world around us, aside from the finer things in life that Engel & Völkers in particular is so familiar with, we cannot fail to see the hardship and adversity in our world and it is our moral duty to provide help where it is most needed. The living conditions of children living in the so-called “Fourth World” leave no scope for evasion and discussion. Action must be taken and aid provided both quickly and without bureaucracy. It is not just financial interconnectedness that poses a challenge in our age of globalisation but above all social and humanitarian integration.

We cannot allow Africa to become a “forgotten continent”. Our efforts are aimed at giving the children of Agbetiko/Togo the chance to lead a better life in their home country, on their continent, in our world. We have taken the first step and will be supporting this project in Togo in the long term with our established local partners on site. We very much hope that you feel impelled to lend your support to our joint efforts!

What is the vision for the project?

The children attending the primary school in future will learn how to read and write in the official language French, as well as learning arithmetic. French is the “1st foreign language” for children, as they speak various different dialects in their respective villages. This common language is the prerequisite for going on to attend secondary schools, which is funded in Togo by the state and by charitable means. Various cooperatives are in place to train craftsmen, who can then find employment in the country once they have qualified. The university in the capital Lomé offers the opportunity to study for various different academic degrees. Education in Africa is also an investment in the future!

What is the mission of the project?

The children in Togo want to learn! This will is impressively shown as pupils make their daily route to school of up to 10 kilometres in blisteringly hot temperatures (40 degrees!) or during the dangerous rainy season.

There aren’t any school buses and children aren’t accompanied to school by their parents. The 6-year-olds have to find their long way by themselves, as there isn’t a school in every village. With our help, the village of Agbetiko will now receive a school of its own!

The first step for the children in Agbetiko will be to build the main school building and hire a teacher, who will teach the children in six primary school years. The school will be equipped with teaching materials, school uniforms and furniture. Further school buildings, a school canteen, a residential unit for employees and project leaders and a boarding house for children from villages located further away are the subsequent projects planned on the school site.

The mission is to ensure that around 200 children will be taught and complete their education at the new school in the years to come.

How will the village of Agbetiko contribute to the project’s success?

The proactive support of the Committee for Village Development (CVD) on the one hand will be decisive in driving forward the building work and keeping costs low through internal labour. The women in the village will sew the school uniforms for the children – a very important “status symbol” for the children here in Togo. The king of Agbetiko has already designated a 20,000 sqm plot of land to the school project. Work has already been completed on building a water spring, and the further infrastructural developments (access routes, electricity, phone) can now follow. The local authorities are also helpful in the recruitment of suitable teaching staff.