1 Essential Guidelines For Volunteering at PDH Lomé TOGO 8ème Edition 2018

C E N T R E S O C I A L
Promotion et Développement Humain

BP 20832 Lomé Tél. (00228) 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 Togo E-mail : centre_social@yahoo.fr
AGE : There is no age limit or restriction.

DURATION : No minimum, no maximum.
DATE / PERIOD : Available all year round.
Notes: Volunteers receive an introduction and continual on-the-job training

(report writing, office, visit and drop in centre procedures). Participants
receive a certificate of accomplishment and a letter of recommendation is
available upon request.
8th Edition, 2018
Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

E-mail : pdh_volontaires@yahoo.fr Site web : www.pdh-info.tg www.pdh-togo.org
Advice part 1 January 2018 Page 1 of 11
 PDH was created on February 15, 1999 in Lomé, Togo and in the
years 2001 to December 2017 has welcomed and worked with 178
international volunteers from America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
 These “Essential guidelines for volunteering at PDH” have been
drawn from the experiences of all of these past volunteers.
We would like to thank you in advance for your attention and

your time in reading this document. Please don’t hesitate in
asking us to expand on any of the content in our guide, or any
other questions you may have.
Please contact us on Tél (00228) 90 10 46 34 / 22 51 77 52
E-mail : pdh_volontaires@yahoo.fr if you need any more information.
We look forward to hearing your responses.
FRENCH
You don’t even need to speak French, but a few words would help.

Advice part 1 May 2017 Page 2 of 11
N° TITLES PAGES
1 There and Away: Flights
1.1 Travel agencies for cheaper flights 4
1.2 Cheap plane tickets
2 Acquiring Visas – Advice
2.1 From Europe
2.2 From the U.S. 5
3 Money € - £ - $ - CFA
3.1 Credit/ Debit cards
3.2 Traveller’s cheques
3.3 Money on arrival in Togo
3.4 Money before leaving for Togo 6
3.5 Transferral to PDH’s account
4 Vaccinations / Health
5 Packing
5.1 Clothes 7
5.2 List of things to bring
6 Arrival
6.1 Arrival into Lomé 8
6.2 Arrival into Accra
7 Housing
8 Security 9
9 Fees
10 Work at PDH 10
14 Nombre de volontaires internationaux reçus 11
15 TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS VOLUNTEERS OF PDH 12

1. There and Away: Flights
The PDH team will meet you at your arrival airport and take you to the centre from there; alternatively if you
arrive at the border they are able to meet you there. Please let the team know which you would prefer in
advance.
1.1 TRAVEL AGENCIES FOR CHEAPER FLIGHTS
 Best Fare 4 U
 World Wide Travel
 RA Travel
 Trip Dealers
 Travel Options
 Travel Bargain
 TFI Tours
 Rendezvous
 STA Travel
1.2 CHEAP PLANE TICKETS:
The following websites often have cheaper fares when travelling to Togo, depending on the duration of your
stay and your dates of travel.
 www.flightcentre.com
 www.travelocity.com
 www.kelkoo.com
 www.cheapflights.co.uk
 www.fr.lastminute.com
From Europe: look at flying from Paris (Orly du sud- It is often a lot cheaper than flying from London). It is
also possible to fly via Brussels. In addition, if you do not mind a bit of extra travelling and preparations, it is
relatively easy and sometimes cheaper to fly into Accra, Ghana, which is a 3 hour bus ride from Lomé.
Flying into Lomé
 Royal Air Maroc
 Ethiopian Airlines
 Afriqiyah Airways
 Air Afrique
 KLM
 SN Brussels Airlines
From US: Look at flying into Accra, Ghana, and check the connections in the capital city where the airline is
based.
 British Airways
 Royal Air Maroc
 Continental
 Lufthansa
 KLM

2. Acquiring Visas - Advice
2.1 FROM EUROPE:
It is easier and cheaper to fly into Lomé and obtain a Visa upon arrival, which costs 20 euros or 10.000 CFA. It
lasts for a week and then Antoine will take you to the passport office to extend it for the month. To renew the
Visa each month thereafter, it costs 10.000 CFAs. 4 Photos are required for each Visa application. You can
either bring them with you or have them taken by a photographer outside the Visa office (it is easy and should
cost around 2000 CFA for 9 photos).
2.2 FROM THE US:

Go to the Togolese embassy website, print out the Visa application, and send the completed application express
mail, along with your passport and a money order, to the address specified on the website (the Togolese
embassy in Washington D.C.). They will then mail you a Visa along with your passport but make sure to
ALLOW A MONTH for this, as the process can be slow. 4 photos are required for the Ghanaian Visa and
another 4 for the Togolese Visa. It is also possible and easier to purchase a Togolese Visa when you arrive
at the airport in Lomé.
If flying into Ghana, follow the same procedure and acquire a Ghanaian Visa in addition to a Togolese Visa.
Although you can opt to wait and obtain a Togolese Visa at the border, you absolutely MUST have your
Ghanaian Visa when your plane lands in Accra (you must apply for it in advance while you are still in the U.S.
or you will not be admitted into the country!)
NOTE:
You MUST present your Yellow Fever upon arrival at all borders and when applying for your Ghanaian Visa.
3. Money € - £ - $ - CFA
3.1 CREDIT / DEBIT CARDS
VISA is the ONLY card that works in Togo, and withdrawing cash via ATM is the easiest method for obtaining
money here. There are a lot of ATMs in Lomé, but not all of them accept VISA. Please advise your bank before
travelling that you will be using your card abroad. There have been cases where banks have put a hold on cards,
in fear of theft or fraud. Unfortunately, a volunteer experienced this firsthand and it was not a pleasant situation!
After several expensive phone calls to her credit card company, she had to wait DAYS until everything was
resolved and she could withdraw money again using her debit card. There is now one ATM in Lomé where you
can withdraw money using MasterCard, but do not rely on this as your only option since it is often out of
function. However, it might be useful to bring as a security backup to VISA if you wish to do so.

3.2 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUES
No Available
3.3 MONEY ON ARRIVAL IN TOGO
On arrival in Togo, if you are purchasing a Visa you will need 10,000 CFA or €20. Note that pounds, dollars,
and other currencies will not be accepted. When you arrive, you can ask Antoine to lend you his cell phone so
that you are able to phone home. He will then take you to the ATM as soon as possible so that you can pay the
fees to PDH and obtain personal spending money. If you have an internationally accepted currency (for
example Euros, U.S. dollars, British pounds) you can exchange it at the banks in Lomé, but be sure to check
this before.
3.4 MONEY BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR TOGO

If you wish, you may purchase CFA before your departure although this is often a complicated process, and not
possible in every country. We recommend that, instead, you wait to obtain CFA in Togo.
3.5 TRANSFERRAL TO PDH’S ACCOUNT

As a last resort, it is possible to transfer money to the centre’s bank account before arrival and then withdraw it
in Lomé. This should only be considered if for some reason you are unable to use any of the other alternatives
stated above.
4. Vaccinations / Health
Yellow fever
You need a yellow fever vaccination for two reasons when you come to Togo. The first one is that it is the only
useful protection against yellow fever. The second reason is that you need the international certificate which
proves you have done it to come to Togo, Ghana, as well as most other West-African countries. You need it
when you want to obtain the Visa abroad, and you might have to show it when you enter the country or get a
Visa at the border.
Hepatitis A+B
These diseases are caused by contaminated food and water and transmitted by blood or sexual relations
respectively, so the Hepatitis vaccinations are definitely useful to have in Africa!
Malaria
There is no vaccination against the probably most serious health risk for the volunteers, which means that you
have to protect yourself with a prophylaxes (and possibly, mosquito net and insect repellent).
Those are the basic protections, which every volunteer, especially the long-term ones, should have. There are
other ones, which could be useful in single cases – it is the best to discuss that with your doctor!

5. Packing
5.1 CLOTHES
You can arrive in Togo when you want, day or night, January or July, you will be shocked the first time you get
out of the plane and into the West-African air. The temperature is constantly at about 30°C and the humidity
makes you feel sweaty at once. So the most important thing is that clothes are as light as possible.
Shorts are also fine; you only have to be aware that you will stand out even more than you do anyway; because
the Togolese always prefer long pants, no matter how warm it is.
The most common shoe you will see here in Togo is the Flip-Flop, which almost everyone wears. You can get
them here at every corner or bring along something similar from home. It is also good to bring at least one pair
of closed shoes, since the roads can be very muddy at times.
5.2 LIST OF THINGS TO BRING
Some suggestions:
1. Flashlight/ torch (it is very dark at night and there are no street lights)
2. Bathing suit and towel(s)
3. Light sleeping bag/sheet
4. Impregnated mosquito net if possible, or you can buy one here in Togo
5. Mosquito/ insect repellent
6. Sun tan lotion (hard to find here)
7. Basic first aid kit and some medication (for headaches, fever, diarrhoea etc)
8. Digital camera and USB cable to upload photos
9. USB stick
10. Laptop
11. Cell phone (once here, you can easily get a Togolese sim card)
12. Radio/ mp3-player
13. Travel guide book
14. Passport pictures for visas (if not planning on having them done here)
Although not required; if you want to, the staff members at PDH are always happy to receive certain donations
to hand out to people in need or to use at the office. School supplies, medical supplies, children’s games and
books in French, condoms and glasses are some suggestions. A good tip is to ask around at the hospitals,
opticians, etc, for donations.

6. Arrival
6.1 Arrival into Lomé
 You will be met at the airport, accompanied back to PDH and shown to where you will live (usually at PDH
but if the rooms are full, with one of the adjacent host families).
6.2 Arrival into Accra
 You can either be met at the airport in Accra or at the border between Ghana and Togo (Aflao). This is
totally up to you.
 If you want to be met at the airport in Accra it should be noted that you will have to reimburse PDH the cost
of travel there and back (and accommodation if required) for yourself and whoever comes to meet you.
If you would prefer to be met at the border this is no problem.
If you arrive at Accra airport please follow these directions:

1. When you go through customs at the Accra airport make sure they have stamped your passport.
2. It would be a good idea to exchange money at the airport so you have cash for the taxi and the bus.
3. Call Antoine (mobile # 00228 90 10 46 34 / office # 00228 22 51 77 52) from the airport to let him
know you have arrived and if you are on your way to the bus station
4. If you don’t have a cell phone with you there are phone booths (“cabine telephonique”) at the airport
and at the border where you will pay for the phone call.
5. Take a taxi to the hotel if you are staying overnight or take the taxi to the Tudu Bus station where the
bus will take you to the Togo border.
6. The bus is a van that departs when the seats are full so it is hard to say exactly what time the bus will
leave. There are several buses that depart throughout the day but it is best to arrive early in the
morning to catch an early bus.
7. When you arrive at the border call Antoine to tell him you have arrived.
8. Walk to the Ghana immigration office to fill out a form.
9. You must walk across the border into Togo.
10. Walk to the Togo immigration office where you will fill out a form and they will stamp your
passport.
11. Antoine or a staff member from PDH will be waiting for you at the Togo immigration office.
12. See you soon
The bus from Accra departs from TUDU Bus Station
N.B. If your flight arrives into Ghana after 2pm, it is advised that you stay the
night in Accra and travel to Lomé the next day, as it is a much easier and safer
journey by day. Previous volunteers have found websites such as
www.lonelyplanet.com to be helpful when looking for places to stay in Accra.

7 Housing
 You will either live in the volunteer accommodation at PDH or with one of the host families
in the immediate locality. Unfortunately you will not get a choice of where you will live as it
will depend on availability when you arrive.
 The cost will be the same in both cases, 25,000 CFA per week (around 40 Euros), which
covers your room and 3 meals a day. Water and any other drinks and snacks are up to you
and are not covered by your rent.
 In both cases you will have the same freedom and independence to use your time in Togo
however you wish.
8 Security
 Avedji (where PDH and all the host families are located) is a small suburb outside of Lomé’s busy centre
and is very safe. Other than taking the same care that you take every day there is nothing really to advice.
Elsewhere (in the city centre for example) you should ensure that all your valuables are safe in a well closed
bag and kept close to you at all times, or in a money belt if you prefer.
 PDH has never had an incident where a volunteer has had a problem with their personal safety.
9 Fees
A mandatory donation of 250 USD / 250 Dollars CAN (150 Euros /100 000 F CFA)
is required by each volunteer. The housing costs 63 USD / 63 Dollars CAN
(38 Euros /25 000 F CFA) per week, which covers your room and 3 meals a day. In
addition, you will have to buy your own drinking water, which costs
around 13 USD / 13 Dollars CAN (8 Euros / 5000 F CFA) a week (based on the
assumption that you drink 3 litres a day and use the safe brand Voltic).
Notes:
1. The donation is paid upon arrival
2. For stays of one week to two months, the accommodation is paid upon arrival
3. For stays of more than two months, the accommodation is paid at the beginning of
each month
4. A receipt will be given by PDH
5. In the event of an early departure, no refund will be given.
For more detailed information on the fees, go to:
http://www.pdh-togo.org/html/english/volunteer_three.htm

10 Work at PDH
The work you will do at PDH is focussed in 2 main areas. Work at the centre and
work outside the centre helping on visits.
N° ACTIVITIES BENEFICIARIES
At the centre
1 Counselling and Assistance Social cases
People living with HIV/AIDS (children and adults)
Children with HIV/AIDS positive parents/ AIDS orphans
Underprivileged children and Street children
2 Support group People living with HIV/AIDS (children and adults)
3 Education on treatment and therapy
4 Treatment and therapy club
5 “Eat & Share”
6 Cooking workshop
7 Activity days Children with HIV/AIDS positive parents/ AIDS orphans
Supplementary classes Underprivileged children and Street children
Outside the centre (field work)
8 Case study Social cases
9 Home visits Social cases
10 Workplace visits Social cases
People living with HIV/AIDS
11 School and apprenticeship visits Children with HIV/AIDS positive parents/ AIDS orphans
12 Hospital visits Social cases
13 Anti-retroviral treatment monitoring People living with HIV/AIDS (children and adults)
14 Food kit donations Social cases
15 Monitoring of small businesses Social cases
People living with HIV/AIDS
It is also possible to visit an orphanage that PDH supports and to help out there.
You will be able to participate in administrative tasks.
You can create your own project that must be approved by PDH.
Work at PDH begins at 7:15 am with a lunch (and siesta) break at 12:30 until 3:00pm. The afternoon session
lasts from 3:00pm until 5:30pm. Friday afternoons are free for international volunteers.

11 - TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS VOLUNTEERS OF PDH
“PDH is a small yet incredibly worthwhile organisation that tackles the problems of
poverty and disease in Togo.”
Louise Marshall, Scotland
“I was searching for a volunteer experience where I could be out

in the field, having direct contact with the population being
served and PDH has afforded me this opportunity.”
Molly Bartholomew, USA
“I worked with people of all ages and lived with a local family. I
grew to understand the culture and even a tiny bit of the local
indigenous language, Ewe. ...
I have absolute respect for all of the volunteers of PDH and it’s
supporters. They do amazing work. I came away with vastly
improved French and a true understanding and passion for the
humanitarian work they carry out”.
Perdita Hall, UK - England


1 Essential Guidelines For Volunteering at PDH Lomé TOGO 8ème Edition 2018

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C E N T R E S O C I A L

Promotion et Développement Humain

AGE : There is no age limit or restriction.

Notes: Volunteers receive an introduction and continual on-the-job training

8th Edition, 2018

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

We would like to thank you in advance for your attention and

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

2.2 FROM THE US:

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

3.4 MONEY BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR TOGO

3.5 TRANSFERRAL TO PDH’S ACCOUNT

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

5.2 LIST OF THINGS TO BRING

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

If you arrive at Accra airport please follow these directions:

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

“I was searching for a volunteer experience where I could be out

Centre Social PDH 02 BP 20832 Lomé Tél 00228 22 51 77 52 / 90 10 46 34 TOGO

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