February 18, 2006
Photos
| By McAfricVision | 09:26 AM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2006
Benitaah
Family | By McAfricVision | 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
Help a Child go to School
CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION:
Vision:
Given financial and Spiritual help to children and youth who are inpoverished in their effort to achieve a SOUND EDUCATION.
Objectives:
1- To promote education as a real vehicul for Kids and Youth.
2- To financially and materially assist Children in their effort to finally go to School.
3- To find and connect sponsors to students.
4-To be friend with children and youth.
5- To donate books, Schools materials ....etc
NB: Togo, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Niger,Senegal, Ghana, Cote D'Yvoire, Liberia and Mali in West Africa are the starting point of this ministry.
If you want to know more about CFE and help please contact us:
CFE
3679 Montana St
Saint-Louis, MO 63116
e mail: cfe_education@yahoo.com
Education-Development | By McAfricVision | 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Why you should Go ?
Simply because you will love people. They are also created in God Image.Macklann Basse
Togo : Place to GO | By McAfricVision | 03:18 PM | Comments (0)
General view about Togo
Togo
Introduction Togo
Background: French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the 21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the European Union initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004. Upon his death in February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders. GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and agreed to hold elections in late April 2005.
Geography Togo
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 56,785 sq km
land: 54,385 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,647 km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline: 56 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 30 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use: arable land: 46.15%
permanent crops: 2.21%
other: 51.64% (2001)
Irrigated land: 70 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
People Togo
Population: 5,681,519
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.2% (male 1,232,759/female 1,224,060)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 1,505,737/female 1,571,201)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 60,799/female 86,963) (2005 est.)
Median age: total: 17.78 years
male: 17.42 years
female: 18.14 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.17% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 33.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 11.8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 66.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 74.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.01 years
male: 55.02 years
female: 59.06 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 10,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)
Nationality: noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese
Ethnic groups: native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
Languages: French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.9%
male: 75.4%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
Government Togo
Country name: conventional long form: Togolese Republic
conventional short form: Togo
local long form: Republique Togolaise
local short form: none
former: French Togoland
Government type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Lome
Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Kara, Plateaux, Savanes, Centrale, Maritime
Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Constitution: multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Legal system: French-based court system
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE; popular elections in April 2005 validated the succession
head of government: Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since 8 June 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1.0%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.6% ( This is what the Government said? I don't know the truth : Basse Macklann add)Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1
note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of the Forces for Change, and the Action Committee for Renewal
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP [leader NA]; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]
note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President GNASSINGBE, was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE
embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome
mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome
telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94
FAX: [228] 221 79 52
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy Togo
Economy - overview: This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings, with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate, but production fell an estimated 22% in 2002 due to power shortages and the cost of developing new deposits. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Progress depends on following through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.684 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39.5%
industry: 20.4%
services: 40.1% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 1.74 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues: $239.2 million
expenditures: $273.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Industries: phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement; handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: 108.8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.7%
hydro: 1.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 451.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2002)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Current account balance: $-125.6 million (2004 est.)
Exports: $663.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners: Burkina Faso 16.4%, Ghana 15.1%, Benin 9.4%, Mali 7.6%, China 7.5%, India 5.6% (2004)
Imports: $824.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners: China 25.5%, India 13.3%, France 11.5% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $267.4 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA $80 million (2000 est.)
Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Togo
Telephones - main lines in use: 60,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 220,000 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 73,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .tg
Internet hosts: 82 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2001)
Internet users: 210,000 (2003)
Transportation Togo
Railways: total: 568 km
narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
Highways: total: 7,520 km
paved: 2,376 km
unpaved: 5,144 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2003)
Ports and harbors: Kpeme, Lome
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT
by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2005)
Airports: 9 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Togo
Military branches: Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (2005)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,148,890 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 629,933 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (2004)
Transnational Issues Togo
Disputes - international: in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary
Illicit drugs: transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem.
This page was last updated on 1 November, 2005
Source:
From http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blctogo.htm
Togo : Place to GO | By McAfricVision | 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2006
Mission?
NCF Friday, October 07, 2005
Message: Mission today?
Text: Philippians 2, 19-30.
One of the Stories my Grand father used to tell me before his death was the story of missionaries who came to our village Patatoukou when, Germany colonized Togo, years before the Second World War. He had this unique passion of telling us the story. Baptism, Catechism, hospitals, Schools and roads were done by them. The thing I could not understand, as a child was the way combination of the gospel and the exploitation of peoples who were forced to work hard for unclear reasons and go to Church Sundays, try to dress and sing hymns like Europeans. For many old people in my context, Colons and missionaries were doing the same Job. As third generation of my Grand Father I can look back to the history and acknowledge good and evil things that had been done in the Name of God. But God was moving and saving people from all nations and tongues. The prove is that I am in one sense a fruit of that seed of this Germany mission called Bremen Mission because my mother became Christian trough them who started Togo Presbyterian Church.
How do we see mission today? Can we find biblical support to mission activities today? Do we have a theological understanding of mission as a Church? If we do which approach are we taking?
Paul in the book of Philippians is giving us some basics fundamentals principal about mission.
Let read the passage: Philippians: 2, 19-30.
Paul Confidence to preach the Gospel and to make Jesus-Christ know every where, and in every situation, is built on God himself. He was not putting his life in danger because he was so brave, or suffering because he wants too, but because of the good work that God is doing himself in people life. Paul is sure for this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus-Christ. So that people will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. Because of that, Paul can stand firm even in Prison and teaches us.
Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus and Believers of the Church of Philippi are the mains Characters of this passage.
Paul was in Prison (v 7) when he wrote this letter to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Phillippi. Reading his letter, you can see a team, people working together for the sake of Kingdom. Sufferings were there but none of them seams to be alone or doing his own things, disconnected with the rest. Paul heart was with the church even far away from them. It is surprising to see Paul mentioning them always in Prayer. Early in the First Chapter verses 3-4: “ I thank my God in my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all…”. There is no real effective mission activity without Prayer. Praying God to fulfill his promises for all nations, all tribes and all tongues. And listening to God, who is the missionary par excellence.
Is it mission only about strategies, money and resources? I will suggest NO. You can have your money, your plan or strategies and fell. If your are considering going in mission, outside your comfort zone, even here in States and you are neglecting Your Time with God to learn from Him and receive from him, you are planning to fell. As a church in our effort to build teams for mission around the globe if we are not a Church that prays and prays, we will be wasting time, money and resources. “When Jesus saw the Crowed Mathew recorded, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Mat 9; 36-38.
Then, Paul moves on, planning to Send Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Church. I would rather say then God move on to send Timothy and Epaphroditus. It is God who wants people, Christians to Go and make disciples of all nations. It is God Business to do so and he wants to send people.
Who are they? Who is Timothy? Who is Epaphroditus?
Verse 19, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare…he has served with me in the gospel”
We are all servants of God, serving one another, serving the body of Christ. There is no place for supremacy in Jesus-Christ Kingdom. Some time because of what we have seen, this notion of SERVING one another is no more applied. The classic image out there in mission market looks exactly like colons trying to dictate theirs ambitious using the pretest of bringing civilization to uncivil world. Are they really serving people or serving them self? We are all partners with God in Mission. The sending Church and the receiving Church are partners with God. The model of Paternalism did in the past so many damages in the third world countries. Churches are ruled and governed exactly as in Politic.
Epaphroditus, brother and fellow worker of Paul is called soldier. This man nearly died because of the work of Christ, risking his life. A soldier life is not an easy thing to take. It is against our natural human inclination. Death can be possible at any time. How many missionaries died on the field far away from their homes and loves ones. Many of them were killed, many of them died because of sickness. Why, because they believed in this transforming powerful message of the gospel, which can free people of all nations from sin power. When we are rooted in this gospel, nothing can stop us to pay the price, not because we can do it by our own, but because of the One who paid the ultimate Price on the cross.
That was the reason why the church of Philippi can be part of this movement even poor. Paul considered them as partners with him in the Gospel. He received from this poor church support at less two times. Often we as Africans from poor context think we can not play a vital role in the Body of Christ. This is lye. Paul can rejoice because of what this poor church did. Poverty, suffering and difficulties can not stop us of serving God and others. Many times when we find our self in difficult situations our zeal for God usually diminish. Look at places like Africa or China, why Churches are growing every day despite of sufferings, persecution and difficult circumstances? This is the proof that God himself is at work.
Jesus never said follow me and then you will have an easy life. The prosperity gospel today is used as a gun to shout on people who don’t want to take their cross to follow Jesus-Christ. If as a missionary you can not identify your self with people your are pretending to serving, there is a problem. I will urge you to not go if you can not appreciate who they are. May be you will get sick just by eating my food, or drinking unclean water!
Jesus-Christ is our model. He came as human being to live among us. Just by becoming Human he is telling us to identify our self to people to whom we are call to serve. Don’t go to places like Togo, Burkina fasso, Congo or Niger and live like your were in United States.
Is it optional to do mission, to Evangelize, or to be co-worker with God, bringing righteousness as a gift to nations, tribes and tongues? Can we choose as a church to say mission is not our call? NO. It Is a Command to GO. We are all call to be part of this movement, and God has many avenues for us to do mission with this ultimate goal: To bless all nations in Jesus-Christ.
AMEN
Macklann Basse.
In Christ Alone | By McAfricVision | 07:34 PM | Comments (1)
