Article January 12, 2004 Issue

My work with the girls of Bapure

By Ariana Herlinger

Ever since I arrived in Togo over two years ago to work as a Peace Corps volunteer, I've been impressed by the Togolese people. They have such generosity, and their encompassing love of community and sense of humor in the face of adversity are inspiring. I work in Bapure, a little village in the northern part of the country.

The aim of my assignment has been to promote girls' education. In this work I've learned a lot from the people here, grown in my understanding that God's family includes everyone on earth, and have loved every minute of the assignment.

When I first arrived in Togo, though, I was overwhelmed by what seemed to be bleak conditions. What I saw was suffering and poverty. And it was all too easy to accept these conditions as normal and fixed. But I didn't want to be so impressed by everything negative around me that I might miss all of the good that was there. I didn't want a disheartened outlook to limit the work that the other volunteers and I were trying to do in the region. But I didn't know how I could best counteract the discouragement I was feeling.

About the author

Ariana Herlinger has completed her assignment in Togo. Before leaving she harvested the half-acre plot her host family provided for her, and the small return for her, hard labor deepened her conviction that education is West Africa's way up.

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