The atmosphere was excellent at the Engel & Völkers School in Togo: Oscar Völkers, the son of the company founder Christian Völkers, flew out with a friend to support our school project in person. The two 17-year-olds decided that they wanted to help out on site during their school holidays – to get a better picture of the situation on the ground and the needs of those at the school. The News Board team spoke with Oscar Völkers:
Oscar, what was your motivation for visiting the school in Togo?
OV: I’d heard a lot about the school from my family and wanted to build a personal connection with the charity project. I also just wanted to go for the experience of it.
How long were you there and what were the main things you did?
OV: We were there for 17 days. We entertained the children in class and played football with them during the breaks. We also got involved in the building work for the extension of the school building, helping to build walls. And we were given the opportunity to meet the mayor, as well as teachers and directors. Of course, we also got to know the village of Agbetiko and the culture of the local region.
Did you think the trip was going to be like it was, or were there any surprises?
OV: The village is much more remote and much poorer than we expected. But there are more teachers and more children at the school than we thought. It is a real “hotspot” in the region. It was very clear to us that the whole village is extremely proud of the school.
What was the best experience, or rather, what did you like the most?
OV: The best experience was when we were welcomed by the children for the first time on arrival. I’ve never seen so much joy in so many faces all at the same time! Once you’ve experienced something like that for yourself, you really realise just how important this project is.
Thank you to both of you for your help and support!
Would you like to make a donation? All proceeds can be sent to:
Engel & Völkers Charity e.V.
Reference: “Togo”
Deutsche Bank AG
IBAN: DE09 2007 0000 0070 7240 00
BIC DEUTDEHHXXX
Engel & Völkers Charity e.V. issues a donation receipt for donations of 50 euros or more. This also applies to donations made from abroad, although no guarantee can be made that the receipts will be recognised by the respective local tax offices. We would ask for your understanding that the administrative time involved in issuing receipts for smaller donations would be too great.
For further information please contact: Ina.Schlueter@engelvoelkers.com
