OUR PROJECTS
Education, village by village
With an emphasis on locally relevant program development, LeapingStone began aid projects at the village level in Dédékè, Togo. We will expand throughout Togo and branch out to other West African communities.
Bridging the gap
LeapingStone believes that education is the foundation on which a rich and successful life begins. Many children in Togo currently lack education facilities of any kind. These villages are in desperate need of outside assistance.
AID MODEL
Providing a legacy
LeapingStone is committed to making a lasting difference in the educational needs of children in West Africa. To that end, we have introduced a model of aid that we believe will provide a legacy of self-supporting education in perpetuity.
‘We incorporate local communities in the decision-making process …this is their project.’
-Natalie Huberman
How we can achieve this
LeapingStone partner’s with local NGO’s to provide revenue generating programs.
- Entrepreneurship: LeapingStone introduces revenue-generating programs that have proved to be successful in developing economies
- Relevance: We work in cooperation with the individual residents to ensure our programs are locally sustainable and culturally relevant.
- Investment: We incorporate local communities in the decision-making process to ensure that the people we serve know this is their project. Making sure they have a say — as well as contributing time and labor — fosters a culture of ownership and responsibility.
Latest Update
The women’s committee has been working together to achieve self sufficiency. They are well organized, hold regular meetings, have opened a bank account and have savings in the account. With the help of Claire Quenum, they have started a Thursday evening market where they sell corn and other staples.
Claire was granted funding by the Japanese government for a cassava milling project. The building to house the mill is under construction now. Once it is complete, the mill will be purchased and the women will receive instruction in how to properly mill cassava. With this new skill, they will have another commodity to sell and also the service of milling cassava for others.
