While the GPiH team was in Togo, Jacoba Rand was soaking in as much as she could during the week because very soon she will be calling Togo home. Jacoba and her husband, Marcus, will be the In-Country Operations Directors in Togo and will start their new journey in July. Here is what Jacoba had to say about her time spent in Togo:
“From the bright white of the noonday sun to the deep shadows of the waiting room of a medical clinic, from the high-rise businesses in the capital, to the thatched mud-brick houses of the countryside, Togo is a country of contrasts. My first experience of Togo this past month gave me much food for thought. As I bumped along the dirt trail to the health clinic site, I looked over the beautiful fields and saw a thatched shelter for goats. On top of the shelter was a small solar panel, perhaps to charge the smartphones of the family who lived nearby. For me, this seemed like such a contrast. No running water, no electricity. No toilet, no refrigeration. Yet smartphones are prevalent among rural Togolese. However, as I thought about it more, I realized that for the Togolese, this is just life.
Development happens at a different pace, in a different way in Togo than it does in the USA.
Later, as we walked through the rural village that the head chief had chosen for the next water tower, I felt grateful that I can take part in helping the community in the Zio district develop at their own pace, in their own way. GPiH is coming alongside local leaders to enable them to lead their communities to a better quality of life through clean water and quality health care.
The excitement of the village chief at the prospect of his village members not having to walk 2 kilometers for water was infectious. I am excited for them, and look forward to visiting again when they can show me their new water tower, the one you and I, as GPiH supporters, helped to build.”
We are very excited for Jacoba, Marcus and the Rand family to move to Togo and oversee operations of the new developing Health Center! If you would like to support this wonderful family on their journey into Togo click here.
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