School Building Donated by Church in Togo

Community leaders, residents, and students of the Klévé Public Primary School gathered for the official handover of a new school building donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 30 September, 2025. The new facility, located in the small community of Klévé in the municipality of Lacs Est, Togo, includes four modern classrooms, a principal’s office, and a meeting room, providing a durable and dignified learning environment for the village’s children.

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For years, the Klévé Primary School struggled with overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure. With only one permanent building containing three classrooms to serve a growing student population, the school was forced to rely on temporary shelters built by villagers and pupils—sheds constructed from palm branches and straw that offered little protection from the elements.

“Since 2021, when I arrived at this school on assignment, our problem has always been the building,” explained Awokou Sadi, headmaster of the school. “In my previous positions, I had always taught in well-equipped buildings, but here we were practically working under the trees.”

These makeshift classrooms were unusable during Togo’s frequent rainstorms, forcing students to either cram into the single main building or simply be sent home, losing precious instructional time.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to the community’s need by constructing a robust, fully equipped school building. The new structure with its four classrooms is furnished with 30 tables and benches and two blackboards in each room. It also includes a dedicated principal’s office and a meeting room with a large table and eight chairs for teachers, providing a professional space for lesson planning and collaboration.

Chief Togbui Agbota Emmanuel Komlan, the village chief of Klévé, recalled the challenges the school children had faced for so long:  “We have been through many trials and tribulations; our school pupils have suffered hardship and rain in conditions that we cannot forget. From today onwards, they will no longer have to go home when it rains.” He thanked the Church, noting that “this building is bringing light to the children. … In this building, the children will receive the light of knowledge.”

A Senior missionary serving in the Benin Cotonou mission of the Church, Elder Lucas Smith, taught attendees of the children’s divine worth in his remarks. “I want to tell you that you are children of God. … When we study at school, pray, and do what the Lord asks us to do, He performs miracles in our lives.”

President Emmanuel Komlan Amehouenou, President of the Lomé Togo Agoe Stake explained the broader purpose of the project. “This school is not just a collection of walls and classrooms. It is a center of knowledge, virtue, and hope. … Here, we wish to impart knowledge, but also to encourage faith, character, compassion, and civic responsibility.”

The ceremony culminated in the symbolic cutting of the ribbon and the presentation of the keys from the contractor to Church leaders, who then formally handed them to Chief Togbui Agbota Emmanuel Komlan, representing the community.

This humanitarian project is grounded in the Church's twofold committment: to taking care of the needs of the people in our communities just as the Saviour did; and to education, rooted in the Church’s scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants, which states, “The glory of God is intelligence” (93:36) and teaches that a person’s spirit and identity are eternal. Because of these beliefs, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invests in educational initiatives worldwide, seeking to provide temporal and spiritual learning opportunities that enable God’s children to reach their divine potential.