The Grand Marché of Lomé

Two years of working together with employers and local authorities paid off: Tdh was finally able to install a permanent space with a social worker on the market of Lomé. Every morning a make-shift classroom is set up and taken down each evening by the girls themselves. There they can participate in prevention and alphabetization courses, and the girls know that they can always find someone with an open ear. Some of them come to take a break, even to sleep a little, others to release pressure or to talk about their problems. It is important for Tdh to be present at the Grand Marché – that way we can identify children who are facing difficulties and act immediately for their protection. Our presence also enables us to give the children a “space for hope”, and some moments of “childhood”, as well as indicating ways out of the Grand Marché. In short, we are using this presence as an opportunity to promote children’s rights through the employers. Our mid-term objective is to abolish child labour at the market altogether. This might be an ambitious goal, but we’ll get there!