DAC 2025: Compassion International Togo calls for a Child-Centered Nation

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2 minutes de lecture

Compassion International Togo commemorated, this Wednesday, June 25, 2025, the Day of the African Child (DAC). This celebration took place during an exchange meeting in Lomé bringing together state actors, NGOs, members of civil society, partner churches and young leaders from the Child and Youth Development Centers.

Focused on the theme: « Creating a Child-Centered Nation », this meeting marks Compassion International’s desire to mobilize actors to rethink actions in favor of strengthening children’s rights.

« This meeting marks our alignment in the organization of the Day of the African Child. At Compassion, we have chosen the theme ‘creating a Child-Centred Nation’. Our aim is to mobilise different actors, whether from the government, sister NGOs or other institutions, as well as children, to reflect together on the holistic development approach for children and young people. By organizing this conference, we wanted to give a voice to children and reflect on how we can collaborate on the different aspects of child development, » explained Olivier Koffi Ahonon, National Director of Compassion.

Several themes were discussed at the conference, including the importance of putting children at the centre of public policies and community action, as well as the ten key aspects of creating a Child-Centered Nation, presented by Jonathan Prosser, from Compassion UK.

Compassion International Togo‘s key interventions in the protection and well-being of children were also at the heart of the exchanges.

The Day of the African Child, celebrated every 16 June, provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to reflect on the progress made in children’s rights and to address the persistent challenges they face.

Olivier Koffi Ahonon, National Director of Compassion

For its part, Compassion International advocates for direct involvement in policies to have a significant impact on child protection.

« A Child-Centred Nation is a nation where all actors are mobilised around the problem of the child and the holistic development of the child and the family. We are now coming out of this programme with a roadmap that will allow us to develop the actions we have worked on. For Compassion International, we are now caring for more than 90,000 children across the country, and it is essential that we continue to mobilize all actors to work together on the ten key aspects of a child and family-centred nation, » added Mr. Ahonon.

A plea to strengthen children’s well-being

The celebration of this day was also an opportunity for children and young people to make recommendations to the various stakeholders.

« We would like the government to organize an annual forum in each region with our parents on positive parenting in order to improve their parenting skills to better take care of us with kindness and without violence. We also want each municipality to set up family mediation services to guarantee the implementation of actions to support parenthood and strengthen the parent-child bond. We would like the government to create innovative laboratories dedicated to children and young people in each administrative region, » pleaded Ms. DOGO Dieu-Bénie, spokesperson for children and youth.

They also urge the Ministry of Social Action to initiate at least one annual session of exchanges between deputies and the children’s parliament on the government’s initiatives in favor of the protection and well-being of the child. Children and young people are asking for their views to be considered in the decisions made.

The General Secretary of the Ministry of Social Action, representing the Minister at this meeting, praised the actions carried out by Compassion International in Togo since 2008.

« When a non-governmental organization aligns itself with state policy and takes concrete action, it can only be admired » he said.