Togo - Africa

Togo is a pencil-thin strip of land, 90 miles wide at its widest point and 30 miles across at its narrowest point. From its foot on the balmy coastlands of Western Africa to the head at the arid border of Burkina, Togo is 425 miles tall.

With about 40 ethnic groups and around 4 million people, Togo is a curious mix of different tribes each with a distinct culture. The two largest groups are the Ewe, who are concentrated in the south and the Kaybe, who are concentrated in the North and central parts of Togo. Though French is the country's official language, about half of its people speak or understand Ewe and the second most widely spoken African language is Kabye. Approximately 20% of Togolese profess some form of Christianity, 20% are Muslim and the majority practice animism. Most Christians live in the south, and many of them are from the leading Ewe tribe. However, an equal number of Ewe are also animist, living in the shadow of fetish strongholds and the false hope of reincarnation. Togo is the fatherland of voodoo and fetish worship. Voodoo curses and animal sacrifices are daily realities that enslave the people in a vicious cycle of powerless fear and sinister control.

BIMI entered Togo in 2000 with a veteran mission that had already spent 10 years in Togo.The primary work is in the Kara and Dapong regions. Since 2000 there has been several churches established by missionary and national efforts. A national Bible Institute has been established with 10 full time students and several part-time. Two young men have already graduated. Both are pastoring new churches. Childrens programs include Awana and Bible clubs. Teens have an annual retreat held between Christmas and New Years. Annual church conferences and ladies conferences are also held. An aviation ministry was established in 2000 to reach remote villages. The missionaries are helping with 21 different congregations at this time.

Needs for Togo are: purchase of land for churches, construction of churches, books to build a pastor's reference library, equipment to build a youth center, Bibles, tracts, New Testaments, gospels of John and Romans, equipment for film teams.

Togo is open to the Gospel with many are accepting Christ and desiring to learn more about Christ.

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