Two students on humanitarian internship in Togo

Jehanne Réguer and Emma Rolland-Derrien, students at the University of Angers, are leaving on 7 February for a five-week humanitarian placement in Togo. They will be volunteering with children in need and the mentally handicapped.

Jehanne Réguer and Emma Rolland-Derrien will be travelling to Togo on 7 FebruaryOne day, Emma, 23, came across an internship offer from Actions volontaires pour la survie de la Terre (AVST)-Togo to work as a paralegal. The problem was that her student job as a babysitter didn't allow her to be away for long periods. Jehanne, 24, a friend she met last year on a course at the School of Law, Economics and Management asked her "What if I looked after the children". Emma replied: "What if we went to Togo together?"

They decided to go together from 7 February to 14 March, five weeks in total. "We quickly took the necessary steps to obtain a visa and the required vaccinations."

Already volunteering in Angers

Emma is in her second year of a Master's degree in public intervention law. She hopes to work in the field of child law in the future. In Lomé, she will be a volunteer paralegal at a child protection centre, working with children living on the streets or who have been victims of sexual violence. "I will help them to gain access to their rights," she says.

Jehanne has just completed her first year of a Master's degree in Public Law and hopes to study nursing next year. She will be assisting specialist teachers who work with people with intellectual disabilities, and will be providing activities for children in orphanages. "The idea is to destigmatise mental disability in Togo, which is still very much a taboo."

The two students, who are already involved with the Restos du cœur in Angers, will also be taking to the streets. They will be staying with Togolese staff and other volunteers. "In our free time, we'd like to go hiking, get away from the capital to discover the flora and fauna, and get to know the city and its inhabitants. And let's not forget to go and support the French Rugby Team in the Six Nations Tournament, which is taking place during our stay."

As well as the essentials, they'll be taking board games and a notebook in which each person they meet will write down their biggest dream and their biggest decision. "We will wait until we get home to open it and read the stories with our loved ones." As she prepares for the big departure, Jehanne feels "a little scared and excited at the same time." Emma, however, is "more carefree and wants to get swept up in the adventure". It is up to us to make this experience unique by also being a driving force," they conclude.