Liberta-Togo

Togo symbolizes the worse that could happen to Africa.

The late Gnassingbe Eyadema led Africa's first post-colonial coup and served as a role model for many young military leaders anxious to usurp power. As a result, much of Africa degenerated into misrule, oppression, and economic decay.

The time has come to rid Africa of oppressive armies and use military facilities and budgets to support social programs such as higher education.

The late Gnassingbe Eyadema led Africa's first post-colonial coup and served as a role model for many young military leaders anxious to usurp power. As a result, much of Africa degenerated into misrule, oppression, and economic decay.

Existing military manpower and resources should now be redirected to more productive use such as maintaining the country's ailing infrastructure. Foreign support to Togo should be diverted to social programs as well.

Togo spends nearly 2 percent of its GDP on the military, amounting to nearly $32 million a year. The per capita income of the Togolese people is $270 a year.

Last year, students at the University of Lome went on strike for the nonpayment of the annual $1.6 million owed to them by the government. They said they had not been paid their stipend since 2001.

In the meantime, the university remains crowded, supporting 14,000 students instead of the 6,000 students it was initially planned to hold. A second university at Kara is yet to fully come on stream. The trouble at the university is an indicator of the need to revamp the entire system of higher education to bring it in line with global aspirations.

Togo, like many other African countries, needs a population that is equipped in technical skills needed to solve practical problems. But resources are going into maintaining oppressive instruments such as the military. This means investing in more technical higher education as stressed in "Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development," a report of the UN Millennium Task Force on Science, Technology, and Innovation presented to the UN secretary-general last month.

It will need to start revamping its curriculums and improving its teaching methods by creating linkages with the private sector. And above all, it must turn its attention to nurturing talented children.

There is a pioneering African example of the use of military facilities for development. In Rwanda, for example, the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management, created in 1997 after the genocide, is playing a key role in building a new cadre of technical and entrepreneurial personnel. Kigali Institute is also involved in practical projects in energy, food processing, and transportation.

Rwanda is not alone in this league of the enlightened. Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and used part of the saved resources to support higher education. Today the Costa Rican army is made up of the teachers, scientists, workers, and other productive members of the country.

Africa can also make better use of existing resources. There are persistent complaints of shortages of science teachers across the continent. If these countries were at war they would be mobilizing every able-bodied person into national defense.

Technological illiteracy demands similar measures. Every able-minded citizen should spend part of his or her time teaching and sharing their expertise. Political leaders should lead the way and replace public speeches with practical lessons on how to improve human welfare.

Finally, classrooms without doors and windows are a common feature of the African educational scene. Improving educational infrastructure should be a priority public works program for African countries. The military should lead the way if it needs to remain relevant to society.

The crisis in Togo has also opened up opportunities for Africa to rethink the role of its national armies. It is time to start using military resources in social programs. The first step is to turn African armies into "development corps" while strengthening the hand of the African Union as a peacekeeping and democratizing force.

Liberta has discovered that if we invest a sufficient amount of time and energy and work hand-in-hand with the local people of Togo , we can facilitate improvements in health, education and the local economy.

We are a grassroots volunteer organization that has been active since 1998. One unique feature of our organization is that we operate through a partnership between overseas volunteers and a staff of local Togolese.

All of our international coordination, fundraising, and marketing is done through a staff of unpaid volunteers from the US and Europe. Our on-the-ground operations are all run by local Togolese who are trained in development, education, HIV/AIDS counseling and home-based care.

From our first-hand experiences in Togo , we have witnessed certain situations in development work that can inhibit progress. Unfortunately, development and education projects offered by some organizations often reach a limited number of individuals. Most often, only those living in easily accessible locations benefit from knowledge and treatment offered by these organizations. We believe that it is important to reach those that are often overlooked and to teach from within and not from above. Working with and educating those living in the rural villages, we hope to have an impact in areas not often touched by international aid.

Through our HIV/AIDS Education program, we equip rural community members in Togo with the tools and knowledge that are necessary for preventing the disease, which is a major obstacle to sustained growth and development. We also provide Togolese with the skills they need to teach each other, which facilitates knowledge transfer following our visits.

Through the provision of affordable healthcare at our Clinic and our mobile clinics, we are decreasing the number of serious illnesses and deaths due to manageable diseases. We provide general health care to rural community members who would otherwise never have access to such care.

Through our Microenterprise Development Program, we are helping rural women’s self-help groups start small income-generating projects, such as sewing/tailoring shops, bee-keeping projects to harvest honey, fisheries, and horticulture projects on group land.

Through our Primary School, we are building a strong culture of education for the future leaders of Togo. Our Public Library provides opportunity for increased literacy for adults and children in the Tsevie area.