Give Childhood a Chance and Keep Youth Drug Free!

Many young people in Togo worry about the future. Will they find a job after graduating from school? Will they be able to afford to start a family? With 41 percent of the population under the age of 15, the population in the West African country is very young. This is where the Life Skills Program of the International Blue Cross (IBC) comes in. It opens up spaces for young people to discuss their questions and fears.

Life skills trainings are participatory. Young people learn about the risks and consequences of alcohol and drug use. They discuss how to deal with peer pressure and what they can do to make good decisions even in difficult situations.

Jérémie (14) says: "The Blue Cross has helped me to understand myself and life better. I became more self-confident and realized that every person is valuable and unique. I have learned to control my emotions and anger. The courses have strengthened my conviction and motivation to never resort to drugs and not to solve problems with violence."

A central approach of the IBC program is the training of multipliers, so-called peer educators. This year alone, eight new life skills clubs have already been established. They take place after school and are organized independently by the peer educators. In contrast to regular school lessons, the young people in the clubs interact at eye level: in addition to quizzes and debates, plays are rehearsed or even a soccer tournament is organized once in a while. Peer educators often act as role models. They can report from their own experience, for example how they have managed to give up alcohol and drugs and how this has changed their lives for the better.

Thank you so much for everything you give to support young people in Togo, and help to change their lives! 

The IBC Life Skills programme aims to prevent harm from alcohol and drug use among children and youths in Togo, the Republic of Chad and the Republic of Congo. In order for them to develop healthily and reach their full potential and to become active members of a peaceful, just and inclusive society, their alcohol, drug and cigarette consumption and associated risk behaviour needs to be curbed.

Our prevention programm consists of three elements which mutually reinforce each other in order to effect lasting change.

A) Pedagoogic measures, which influence individual behaviour of the participants

B) Mobilisation of local communities

C) Creating better conditions and political frame-works for protection from alcohol and drug harm

In the area A) theater plays an important role. Many studies show that theater is an effective mean of mass sensitization. It offers the public the opportunity to develop their knowledge on health topics while giving them the chance to question their beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. That's why the IBC Life Skills club regularly organizes theater plays, dealing with different topics.

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