Between the walls
North of Togo, Dapaong. The Sainte Monique house hosts AIDS orphans, whether they are infected or not.
Girls and very young boys live in this house while older boys live somewhere else. Older girls become kind of big sisters of the little ones. There, the children find a new family to rebuild themselves. Under the supervision of Maman Rita, the only adult present every day, the girls take care of the daily routine. They are cooking, washing up, cleaning clothes, feeding the little ones, watching over them as well as entertaining them. They are involved in all these, while going to school and having their own homework to do…
The orphanage is part of the association "Vivre dans l'Espérance" ("Living in Hope") founded by Soeur Marie Stella, a Sister from Togo. She is developing a very important program of health care in the region, including food and medicine distribution, construction of a health center, taking care of orphans (in the orphanage or in host families), prevention of AIDS and other diseases, etc.