Celebrating A Different Path

On 10 May 2023, MPs and other supporters were invited to ‘Celebrating a Different Path’ at the House of Commons. They heard stories of mothers and babies in Togo who’ve shared about the difference our Child Survival Interventions have made in their lives. The generosity of our Compassion UK supporters was match-funded by UK aid, and these funds enabled 23 survival projects in Togo to provide antenatal check-ups, trained birth attendants, nutritious food, safe water, and offer mentoring and parenting workshops for families.

Understanding the challenges faced in Togo

Togo, a small country in West Africa, is facing immense challenges related to poverty. According to the World Bank, 55% of the population lives below the poverty line, and the country ranks 165th out of 189 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life – from conception to age two – are massively important for ensuring a baby thrives in later life. Pregnant women and babies living in poverty are especially vulnerable, often lacking access to essentials, such as enough food—according to the WHO, around 45% of deaths among children under five can be linked to undernutrition.

• Global maternal mortality rate: 223 per 100,000 live births

• Maternal mortality rate in Togo: 396 per 100,000 live births

• Global child mortality rate: 37 per 1,000 live births

• Child mortality rate in Togo: 63 per 1,000 live births

The government of Togo is working to ensure better food security and affordable healthcare for all. Our Different Path Survival Interventions worked perfectly alongside their aims, and our approach of partnering with local churches meant each project was run by people who understand their communities and are committed for the long-term.

So much to celebrate

For three years, we partnered with the government’s UK Aid scheme to fund the Different Path Appeal, enabling Compassion to launch 23 Survival projects across Togo. The aim was to improve pregnant women’s access to antenatal check-ups and trained birth attendants, offer life-saving assistance including basic healthcare, hygiene, nutritious food and safe water, as well as providing mentoring and support for families.

• 2,339 mothers and babies were part of the project.

• 653 babies were born during the project timeframe.

• In the project 613 babies were born at full-term – 94%, compared with 88% nationally.

• In the project 633 were born in the presence of a trained medical professional – 97%, compared with 69% nationally.

• In the project 610 babies had a healthy birthweight – 93%, compared with 84% nationally.

• In the project 621 mothers exclusively breastfed for the first six months – 95%, compared with 64% nationally.

The results from our Intervention projects were extremely encouraging:

• Births attended by a health professional were 28% above the national average.

• Exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months was 31% above the national average.

Read our full report for more details about the remarkable outcomes our project has achieved.

We’re grateful for the amazing work this grant has helped us provide. In order to continue and expand the reach of our Child Survival projects, we need to raise vital funds. Can you help by supporting our Child Survival Interventions?