The Blue Community is delighted to welcome the organisation IAMDES from Togo, French-speaking Africa, in its global network and designate them a Blue Community.
In 2006, the idea of creating a regional research structure, with a local presence in each country, emerged among students from five West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo) enrolled at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, now known as Joseph Ki-Zerbo University. These students, having earned their Master’s degrees in Sociology of Development and Adult Education (DEDA), specializing in Pedagogy of Social Change and Development (PCSD), returned to their respective countries to implement the nascent idea. As it was agreed that each country would have a focal point, Togo established its structure, named the “Alternative Institute for Models and Methods of Economic and Social Development (IAMDES-International).”
The objective was to conduct local scientific research on community development initiatives in West Africa. In 2023, following a thorough analysis of the results of its various local research projects, IAMDES-Togo decided to redefine its scope of action and refocus it on the Lake Zowla region in order to optimize its activities. To this end, two new orientations now define its main objectives:
- Supporting indigenous communities to strengthen their skills and resilience in the face of biodiversity degradation and extreme poverty
- Local scientific research to evaluate the effectiveness of actions and continuously improve projects.
In its commitment to the Blue Community, IAMDES states:
«We are working with the communities living around Lake Zowla in Togo. The lake’s waters are polluted by agricultural waste, the leaching of chemicals used in farming, and eutrophication. There is a problem with drinking water in the area. Our biodiversity restoration work includes the purification of the lake’s waters.»
As actual challenges to work on, IAMDES writes:
«Local residents have managed to supply the village with drinking water via the main public water channels. What remains is to extend this to the neighbourhoods, bringing the water sources very close to people’s homes to facilitate access for households. We want to support local residents in their efforts to provide every household in their community with safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.»
ETCHRI Sassou K. Busomekpo, Executive Coordinator of the Organization (CEO), declares:
«We are convinced that by joining the global network, we can benefit from the Blue Community’s expertise in biodiversity restoration, contribute effectively, and use this experience to provide drinking water to the population as part of our future programs.»
Souleymane Guindo, Blue Community coordinator for the frech-speaking Africa, welcomes IAMDES in the global network:
«Dear members of the IAMDES Blue Community, you’ve come to the right place to protect water.
As our principles state, water is a common good and the fight to protect it must be a collective one.
I welcome you and invite you to make an even greater impact in your respective communities.»
