Since September 16, 2024, Youth Awake has launched a vast awareness campaign on the root causes of violent extremism, terrorism and illicit flows in 16 target municipalities of the project. This initiative is made possible thanks to funding from the German Foreign Ministry through the IFA/Zivik program, essential support that comes at the right time to strengthen efforts for peace and security in Togo’s border communities. These actions are also part of the government roadmap 2025, in particular in its axis 1, dedicated to strengthening inclusion and social harmony and guaranteeing peace.
This campaign, which ended on September 23, 2024, aimed to raise awareness among local communities of the complex challenges they face and to promote responses adapted to local realities. It is part of a series of workshops held in several border municipalities, where experts from the Cera Consult firm worked directly with local populations to identify the factors causing instability in their municipality.
The awareness workshops took place in the following municipalities: Cinkassé 1, Cinkassé 2, Kpendjal 1, Kpendjal 2, Oti 1, Oti Sud 1, Dankpen 2, Dankpen 3, Binah 2, Tchamba 3, Mo 2, Wawa 1, Moyen Mono 2, Yoto and Ave.
Awareness activities adopted a participatory approach, bringing together local elected officials, community leaders, civil society organizations and populations. Youth Awake structured the discussions in such a way as to highlight the main issues linked to violent extremism and illicit flows, while integrating the specific realities of each municipality.
This approach made it possible to strengthen local and cross-border cooperation and resulted in concrete recommendations, formulated in local action plans, with a view to strengthening the capacities of communities to respond effectively to the threats weighing on the stability of their municipality.
This awareness tour, supported by the IFA/Zivik program, constitutes an important step in Youth Awake’s strategy to promote peace and security in Togo’s border communities. The actions undertaken made it possible to initiate essential discussions and lay the foundations for lasting solutions, thus strengthening the resilience of populations in the face of violent extremism, terrorism and illicit flows.
Youth Awake would like to express its sincere gratitude to the various municipalities and local authorities for their warm welcome and their valuable collaboration in this action.
