The 6th International Fondacio Congress ended on Friday, May 5, 2023, at the Sichem center, 20 km from Lomé, Togo. For a week, 120 delegates and guests from 20 countries around the world elected a new presidency, worked on the renewal of the association, voted on two main orientations for the next five years (youth and integral ecology) and immersed themselves in solidarity projects in Togo… A joy to be together, to come together, with and for the world! Story.
Day 1: Sunday, May 30
120 delegates and guests from 20 countries around the world, including ten in Africa, gathered at the Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours church in the parish of Zéglé Yéyé in Sichem to attend the opening mass of the 6th International Fondacio Congress. The two-hour celebration was punctuated by numerous songs. Then the delegates returned to the Sichem Center in Kpomé-Dzogblakopé in the late morning.
There, the 6th International Congress was officially inaugurated by Father Bertin Agbobly-Atayi, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Lomé, on the theme: "A time for change, let's build a desirable future".
The 6th Fondacio Congress is open!
Day 2: Monday, May 1st
After the presentation of the results of François Prouteau's term (2018-2023), the delegates voted "yes" by 87% for a new team of five co-presidents at the head of Fondacio: Cécile Villegas (France), Kathleen Deckmyn (Belgium), Jérôme Tozé (Benin), Ignacio Rosselot (Chile) and Benoît Vignon (France). The latter will assume the role of president in the legal and canonical sense.
"The task is heavy, the stakes are multiple: we felt that it was time to enter into a greater co-responsibility," explains Yvonne Altorfer, member of the outgoing Council and co-organizer of the 6th International Congress of Fondacio. Several countries already operate with co-presidency teams: Belgium, France, Burkina Faso and Chile. The same goes for the Asian continent.
A new co-presidency for Fondacio
In the afternoon, delegates and guests worked in small groups to clarify the roles and expectations for the next Council. As a reminder, the Council can have up to 12 members, including the five new co-chairs. On Friday, May 5, a motion was passed to extend the 6th Congress into a phase 4. This will give the new co-chairs time to form their Council and clarify the different roles, based on the work of the congress participants.
Day 3: Tuesday, May 2
Immersion day. Four different groups discovered the solidarity projects supported by Fondacio in Togo, including Ange, AsFoToDe, Succès +, Mon refuge, Sichem Agro-DR… In the partner village of Ketapui, which has 2,000 inhabitants, the Sichem center has, for example, helped to build a drinking water point (borehole), toilets, school buildings and reforestation since 2004. A facilitator, Tchotcho, a trained sociologist, acts as a link between Ketapui and the Sichem center. She follows eleven villages in all. The primary school welcomes more than 400 students and eight teachers.
Another example: the new Sichem Polytechnic Institute (IPS), which opened its doors in September 2022. It has 38 students and three CAP classes: electricity, agroecology and construction. François Prouteau, to agroecology students: "The earth is generous, it gives us everything we need. You are training for yourselves, but also so that other places like Sichem can be born elsewhere. Thank you!" For Matthieu Dardaillon, co-founder of Ticket for Change and guest: "It is very inspiring to see these young people who are training in these professions to build their future, that of their families and their country. These are key skills for a better future."
https://youtu.be/5QJkN-_8Ylw
In the evening, François Prouteau and his Council handed over to the new co-presidency team. "We made a great team that held out until the end, in enthusiasm and diversity," said François Prouteau, president of Fondacio from 2013 to 2018, and from 2018 to 2023. "I am happy with this co-presidency, the Congress and the Council that is being prepared. I am full of enthusiasm, energy and gratitude."
For Marc Bezançon, in charge of International Fundraising, "your commitment and loyalty to Fondacio are impressive. Thank you, on our collective behalf. " "Yes, it is time to close a stage of your life to preside over a new one," concluded Nicolas Cordier, outgoing vice-president. "We give thanks for who you are, your attitude of service, your ability to bring people together. You invite us to set sail for a habitable land. "
Day 4: Wednesday May 3
Working day on the renewal of Fondacio. Intense in emotion, with constructive speeches. At the end of the day, two guests shared the fruit of their observations: Catherine Rivière, business leader, and Matthieu Dardaillon, social entrepreneur. For Catherine Rivière, "the immersion was a shock. Fondacio has everything you need and it works! I drew strength and energy from there. I come here to open my heart to difference. Interculturality is an incredible wealth for each of us: if we do not open up to others, we cannot move forward. You have this strength."
Matthieu Dardaillon emphasized: "What struck me first of all in a positive way was the joy. Right away, with the songs, there is a fervor, a very strong enthusiasm. Something shines in your eyes when you talk about faith. And then, there is this spirituality in action: this faith is made concrete, with these commitments in the world. From this point of view, you are the change that you want to be for the world. To conclude: there is enormous potential here. You are doing magnificent things."
https://youtu.be/0WxrBZVmjp0
In the evening, very talented young actors gave a theatrical performance on the theme of forgiveness. The words of the director still resonate: a young person, a talent!
Day 5: Thursday, May 4
The day opened with the planting of about thirty acacias at the Sichem center, with the Apevia association (Action for a green and inclusive economy in Africa). About thirty others had already been planted a few days before the start of the Congress. The goal is to plant 5,000 trees by June to offset the carbon footprint of the Congress.
https://youtu.be/MwRPF6b8mlo
The morning continued with the intervention of Professor Agbati Koffigan, director of TMSU international and founder of the Agroecology Bioenergy Farm-School, in Dalavé, not far from Sichem. Its vocation: to develop economically efficient agriculture, beneficial for humans and respectful of the environment. Then the congress participants worked, in small groups, on the orientations of the next term (2023-2028), to retain two main ones: youth and integral ecology.
Three agents of change spoke about their missions at Fondacio. First, Lise, a permanent employee at the Esvière center in Angers: "Our ambition is to drive a new way of inhabiting the planet and living together. It is a place of training, meetings, experimentation, action and rejuvenation. What gives me joy is that people come to this place to give a little of their time." Then Liliana, director of YLDC Potosi, in Colombia: "Our center welcomes young people who are unemployed and who are not studying. We support them so that they can enter higher education. This has borne a lot of fruit. Today we work with three colleges and support around 300 students."
And finally, Aleona, coordinator for Laos, committed to the YLDC project: “Being on a mission means getting out of your comfort zone. While in the Philippines, I am very independent, in Laos, I depend on many things: a car to get around, a translator… I realize that through this, I need others to succeed in my mission. A success for me would be that we learn to give space to young people, so that they become leaders. They have extraordinary potential. I have seen in the projects in Africa young people who are standing up. I really want us to continue to generate this group of young people who are eager, who are generous, who are standing up, on the ground.”
In the evening, the 20 delegations present paraded in the colours of their country, in traditional outfits, for a festive evening to close the 6th International Fondacio Congress.
Day 6: Friday, May 5
After the vote on a motion extending the Congress into Phase 4, to finalize the composition of the Council, the assembly experienced two highlights: first, the washing of feet in small groups, agreeing to receive each other. Then, with candles, the outgoing Council symbolically passed the torch to all the delegates, who in turn passed the torch to the new co-presidency.
Many thanks were addressed, in particular to the GAD, the discernment support group, to the singing team but also to all the organizing teams, from Togo, the Africa office and elsewhere!
Congratulations to everyone for the success of this 6th International Congress!
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