Living Conditions in Togo

General considerations

To learn more about living and working in Togo, applicants are encouraged to connect with a recruiter to discuss any specific considerations that could affect their service. In addition, please visit the U.S. Department of State's Togo travel information pages for the latest on travel advisories, local laws, and special circumstances.

Applicants who undergo an interview will have additional opportunities to raise questions or concerns. If, upon learning more information, an applicant would like to be considered for a different assignment from the one they have been assigned to serve in, the Peace Corps can often find an alternate option that may be a better fit.

Volunteers in Togo live with and in the communities they serve. Volunteer housing, access to services, and transportation are basic, meeting Peace Corps' health and safety standards while encouraging Volunteers to integrate and understand the conditions of everyday life in Togo.

Communications

Mail

In general, letters take 2 to 5 weeks to arrive in Togo; packages take longer. There are import duties levied on packages arriving in Togo based on the value of the contents. Family members wishing to send care packages should keep them to less than five pounds and of low monetary value.

During your pre-service training you may receive letters and packages at the following address:

PCT “your name”
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 3194
Lomé, Togo
West Africa

Following pre-service training, Volunteers are encouraged to rent mailboxes at their local post office. Peace Corps doesn’t forward your mail to your new address, so friends and family should not send mail near the end of training.

Telephones

Simple cell phones are operational in almost all parts of the country, and SIM cards are easily available. The Peace Corps will provide you with a simple cell phone and SIM card. Many Volunteers bring unlocked smartphones and use online communication apps to keep in contact with fellow Volunteers and others.

Internet

Regional capitals and some larger towns in Togo have internet connections, although connections are often very slow and/or unreliable.

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to bring a laptop or a tablet. A laptop or tablet increases options for internet access and enables Volunteers to complete required assignments. Volunteers without a device will be provided with funds to buy a tablet locally.

Note on electronics

The heat, humidity, and dust can be very hard on smartphones, computers, tablets, and other devices. Thus, low cost and durable devices are preferable to expensive, at times more difficult to maintain, machines. It is highly recommended to insure laptops or other devices prior to arrival in country and bring/install protective covers.

Housing and site location

Most Volunteers live in two-to three-room houses within Togolese family compounds. Living in a shared compound affords Volunteers a great opportunity to truly be a part of the culture, enjoy the benefits and security of communal living, and better learn the language of their host community. Many Volunteers develop close and lasting relationships with families in their compounds. Communal living can be challenging, however. Volunteers can expect far less privacy and more noise than they are used to, for example.

Sanitation and other amenities are modest. Volunteer houses usually are equipped with latrines and sometimes with modern toilets; bucket showers are common. Many Volunteers live in communities without electricity, use candles and lanterns for light, and typically wake at dawn with the rest of the family. For those with electricity, Togo operates on a 220 V system as is found throughout much of Europe. Volunteers cook on a simple gas burner stove; cooking gas is usually available, but in the event of shortages, Volunteers cook on charcoal. Water sources in Volunteer communities are varied: traditional wells and cisterns, bore holes equipped with pumps, or occasionally piped tap water. Whatever your source of drinking water, you will need to treat it. Peace Corps Togo provides water filters and training to maintain them.

Living allowance and money management

Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to live at a level similar to that of their host country counterparts. Volunteers receive a monthly allowance in local currency (Franc CFA) that is sufficient to live at the level of the villagers in their community. The allowance is adequate to cover food, household supplies, clothing, limited transportation, utilities, and a few other expenses.

The Peace Corps discourages Volunteers from supplementing their living allowance with funds from home. Living beyond the means of those around you would set you apart from your community. However, Volunteers may wish to have additional money for vacation travel. For this, credit cards and ATM cards are preferable to cash.

Peace Corps Volunteers are encouraged to add a trusted family member or friend to their bank accounts in the U.S. or to grant them power of attorney. While accessing U.S. accounts via online banking can resolve many issues, having a second party attached to your finances can make your life less stressful. Make sure your credit cards will not expire while you are in Togo and that you alert your bank to your travel plans. It is not uncommon for banks to shut off debit or credit cards due to "unusual activity" (that is, traveling in Togo and the region) or for cards to be stolen or lost. Having a second party attached to your finances can make your life much easier to help sort out any problems you may encounter.

Food and diet

Your diet will consist of food available in the community in which you live—locally grown foods or a combination of local and imported foods (usually preserved/canned) that can be purchased in Togo. A typical Togolese meal consists of corn or millet-based foods (paste or pâte), pounded yam (fufu), accompanied by a variety of tasty tomato, sesame or peanut sauces and a spicy condiment. Rice and beans (ayimolou), usually eaten for breakfast, is another common meal. There is far less variety in meals than many Americans are accustomed to. Meat is available throughout Togo, as is dried fish, but fresh fish is only available in larger towns. Fruits and vegetables are seasonal, which limits the diversity of a strictly vegetarian diet at certain times of year, especially in more remote areas. Tofu (soy) and wagashi (traditional cheese) are available in many communities.

Transportation

The distance between communities and regional capitals varies but can be as far as 60 kilometers. Public transportation consists largely of shared cars and vans, referred to as “bush taxis.” You will be provided with funds to purchase a bicycle to facilitate work and enable you to have greater access to nearby communities. You will also be given a bicycle helmet. Many Volunteers choose bikes for shorter distances and use local public transportation (bush taxis) to travel to their post office, bank and shopping locations. For longer distances, such as trips to Peace Corps’ training center or the capital (Lomé), Volunteers rely on public transportation.

Social activities

Togolese are extremely social, and most social activities center around community events.

Many Togolese love to chat, sing, dance, and be together. Various ceremonies (such as weddings and funerals) and “fêtes” (festivals) are held throughout the year, and Volunteer attendance is greatly appreciated.

While visits to other Volunteers can sometimes be limited by distance and transportation, host families, counterparts, neighbors, and other community members usually provide Volunteers with the bulk of their social life. If Volunteers are open and friendly, they are likely to be invited to social events, ceremonies and festivals, which can be great opportunities for cultural exchange (as well as fun).

Professionalism, appearance, dress, and behavior

Living and working in Togo means embracing local customs and respecting values. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, your appearance and behavior reflect on both you and the organization. Professionalism in Togo goes beyond job performance; it includes respecting cultural norms in dress and grooming as well as social interactions. While personal style in the U.S. may emphasize individuality, in Togo it signals respect—or disregard—for the community.

Volunteers should expect to adapt their clothing, hairstyle and even greetings to align with local expectations. In West Africa, neatness and cleanliness are highly valued. A casual or disheveled look that might seem normal in the U.S. can be perceived as disrespectful. Dressing appropriately need not mean dressing expensively; Togolese people take great pride in looking neat even with limited resources. Affordable fabrics and skilled tailors/seamstresses are available everything, making it easy to create attractive, culturally appropriate clothing.

Revealing or untidy clothing, such as shorts, short skirts, exposed midriff or chest, and torn clothes, can diminish respect and make integration harder. Village and city attire differ, as does clothing for classrooms versus farm fields, so context matters. For formal work settings, consider collared shirts or tops that cover the shoulders, long skirts or pants that cover the knees when seated, and close-toed shoes or sandals (not flip-flops). Visible tattoos and facial piercings are generally frowned upon but negative perceptions can be overcome by respectful dress and attitude. Locs are tolerated if clean and well-groomed. Greetings are equally important as clothing and hair style choices: a handshake and asking about family and health show respect and help build trust.

Volunteers will receive orientation on cultural norms, but the most valuable lessons come from engaging with your community are encouraged to spend time in their communities, developing their language skills, and observing local customs. Over time, as trust grows, you may have more flexibility in personal style, although you are encouraged to discuss these potential adjustments with staff and other cultural mentors.