The SRC Ball in Geneva raises CHF 643 500 for Togo

The 21st Red Cross Ball raised CHF xxx,xxx to fund projects run in the rural communities of Togo. The Swiss Red Cross and the Togolese Red Cross prioritize building community resilience. The Red Cross mobilizes and trains hundreds of volunteers and key figures in the target communities. It ensures the long-term adoption of good practice and the sustainable functioning of the infrastructures.

Building resilience

The Red Cross is working with 225 localities in the Central and Plateaux Regions. It encourages good practices in mother and child health, for example, such as exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, a minimum of four prenatal health visits, birth certificates, vaccination and mosquito nets to prevent malaria. Improving access to drinking water by drilling wells and to sanitation by building latrines are other aspects of this approach. Latrines and water supply are provided in schools, health centres and homes.

Eye care and disaster risk reduction

The Red Cross is also running an eye care project in six districts of the Plateaux Region to reduce blindness and visual impairments. In addition, the Red Cross and the Togo Red Cross provide communities with support in disaster risk reduction. They help them to analyse the local risks and plan and take suitable measures to deal with them.

Unforgettable evening

From the welcome drinks, the evening was enchanted by the sound of the kora, a stringed instrument found throughout West Africa. The gastronomic meal composed by the Michelin-starred chef Julien Gatillon delighted the guests. Performances by French dancers Guillaume Diop, star of the Paris Opera, and Chloé Lopes Gomes, as well as the voice of Senegalese musician Obree Daman, provided the entertainment.