We traveled 500 km on a roller coaster. Everything around is still spinning. Lying down in bed, we still feel the urge to fasten our seat belts. Traffic rules in Togo are simplified to just a car and asphalt. You know where to go – and that’s it. The end justifies the means. Speed and traffic rules… that just depends on the driver’s imagination and sensitivity.

Togo is one of the smallest African countries. It’s home to over 6.5 million people, over 80% of whom struggle to survive on less than two dollars a day.

Saoudé, in the north of the country, is where the poorest live. We arrived late at night. We had a welcome with flashlights in hand, a lavish dinner: rice cooked under the open sky on three stones, traditional yassa sauce, and grilled fish. We wouldn’t trade places with anyone.

See our Stories to see what it looked like and let’s make sure we wrap up the fundraiser for pharmacy meds, currently running on our homepage, before we depart. We want to leave this place with fully stocked shelves. Every year, almost 4000 patients come to us seeking antibiotics, cold medication, or vitamins, and we have to make sure none of them leaves empty-handed. These people really need you.

Kola is 29 years old. As a child, she used to come to the pharmacy with her mother, and now she seeks our help for her daughter Jeanne. For Kola, the pharmacy is more than just a place with meds; it’s a safety net, the only one she has, to save her daughter from frequent and complicated illnesses. Like everyone, she receives her meds in exchange for a symbolic bowl of corn. Nothing more. The grain collected this way is distributed at the end of the dry season to those who face hunger.

You can save the pharmacy in Saoudé with us. In the coming days, you’ll learn who it helps and how much you are needed here. Keep an eye on the Stories and join our newsletter to not miss anything.