Mission
Prepare young Togolese graduates for the skills that businesses and NGOs with international standards expect, for free and at their own pace.
An independent initiative, run by volunteers.
DANGBE belongs to nobody. Togolese and Americans who saw the same gap between the degree and the job decided to narrow it with what they had: time, experience, and courses open to all.
Mission, vision, values
Vision
A Togo where a graduate’s first job depends on what they can do, and where employers find at home the profiles they used to look for elsewhere.
Values
Honesty about what we promise. Listening to employers. Rigour on proofs. Respect for everyone’s time, volunteers and participants alike.
Why “Dangbé”
Dangbé is the sacred python of Ouidah, in the Vodun culture of the Gulf of Benin: a symbol of wisdom, protection and continuity. The name says what the project wants to be, a line that does not break between the degree and the job, and a team that watches over those it accompanies.
The name is a cultural tribute. DANGBE has no religious character and is tied to no institution.
Independence
DANGBE is affiliated with no government, no embassy, no NGO, no company. The project receives no funding. The courses belong to their publishers, and the time is given by the team. This independence is what lets us tell employers, graduates and partners exactly the same thing.
The Mandela Washington Fellows
Most of the team are Togolese alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative. They bring their professional experience and their knowledge of the ground. American volunteers join them on design and follow-up.
- Program design and course selection
- Mentoring and progress validation
- Employer relations and the survey
The Fellowship is cited as the background of team members. It does not fund DANGBE and is not a partner.
The team
Volunteers, presented with their role in the project.
Team members will be presented here at the launch of the pilot cohort.
A first job worthy of the degree.
It is the only promise we make: to work so that it becomes possible.
Contact
A question, a proposal, an employer who wants to meet the graduates: write to us. The team answers within a few days.
