We made it! Yesterday right around lunchtime we arrived at the port in Lome, Togo - our home for the next six months. Here is our dock complete with a welcoming party eagerly awaiting our arrival!
We were greeted by many Africans in song and dance
...and even a sea turtle (a good sign that the water quality can't be that bad!)
Mercy Ships works on an invitation-only ideal in regard to the chosen country of service for any given year. However, when looking at field service potential, many things are taken into consideration. Amongst these decision factors is the Human Development Index.
The Human Development Index is a tool established by the United Nations that ranks countries based on three areas: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income). Currently Togo ranks almost at the bottom - 159th out of 182 countries ranked. Hence, Mercy Ships is here.
I thought in this blog I'd share a little info in regard to Togo to have a frame of reference. Part II will include what Mercy Ships is doing to help out Togo. Look for that coming soon. This info is taken from the trusty CIA World Fact Book and the (sometimes not so trusty) Wikipedia.
The population of Togo is 6.7 million people and the capital lies in the port city of Lome - our home. Togo stretches 360 miles north from the gulf and is only 100 miles wide at the broadest point. In comparison, it's slightly smaller than West Virginia. The coast along the southern end is roughly 30 miles long. (Stay tuned for a blog on our upcoming walk across Togo.) Interestingly, Togo receives less rainfall than most of the other countries along the Gulf of Guinea. However, there are two rainy seasons here and the first is from March to early July (practically our entire field service!)
In regard to health statistics, the life expectancy is roughly 51 yrs old for males, and 55 yrs for the ladies. An average of 4.79 children were born per woman in 2009. There are roughly 4 physicians per 100,000 people in Togo. In comparison, there were 256 physicians per 100,000 people in the US as of 2007.
As far as the literacy rate goes, 61% of Togolese people can read. 75% of males can read, and 47% of females can read. The average education level of the Togolese people is completion of the 8th grade. Radio is the most popular medium, particularly in rural areas. Approximately one half of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
Natural resources include Phosphates, limestone, marble. The main agricultural products include yams, cassava, corn, millet, sorghum, cocoa, coffee, rice, and cotton.
Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup, after which he became president. At the time of his death in 2005, Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in African history, after having been president for 38 years. In 2005, his son Gnassingbé became president, and then the government engineered his formal election two months later amidst much political strife and bloodshed. 40,000 political refugees relocated to neighboring Benin and Ghana. Many still live there today.
Democratic gains since then have allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and fire from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.
This month of February will be an interesting month for Togo with the 2010 elections taking place on the 28th. Please pray for safety and peace for everyone here in Togo. Please pray that Mercy Ships could still be effective in this time as we set up camp and start our 2010 field service. Please pray that God will be present every step of the way.
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