From November 17 to 21, 2025, Fondacio Afrique experienced a highlight: the Budget and Development Workshop, bringing together 61 participants from 10 countries— Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Congo-Brazzaville, Ivory Coast, France, Ghana, Guinea and Togo.
A busy week, driven by the same spirit: growing together to serve better.
A continental meeting to learn, share, build
Welcomed to Sichem, Togo, the actors from the different communities benefited from a series of training sessions, practical sessions and exchange times which punctuated each day in a spirit of collaborative learning.
The objective was clear: to strengthen the skills of project managers and community leaders, so that each country could take its mission to local populations even further.
For five days, participants explored key themes:
Project management and impact strategies
Communication, public speaking and storytelling
Fundraising and partnerships
Local development and community innovation
Accounting, budgeting and financial management
Human resources and team dynamics
Each workshop aimed to make practices more robust and better organized, while leaving essential space for the human element, listening, field experience, and spiritual inspiration.
Refocusing on Fondacio's DNA: a single spirit, a single vision
A particularly memorable moment was the in-depth presentation of:
Our founding pillars,
Our two priorities (Childhood & Youth, Integral Ecology),
Our programs, which structure action in Africa and around the world.
This period of familiarization aimed to establish a common foundation, ensuring that each participant left with a clear and shared understanding of Fondacio's mission, its challenges, and its unified vision. A return to the roots, profoundly restorative.
Shared expertise
The entire week was led by a multidisciplinary team from Fondacio, whose presence gave real scope to this journey: Benoît Vignon, Cécile Villegas and Jérôme Toze for the co-presidency, Marc Bezançon in charge of fundraising, Isabelle Guillon for project monitoring, Pascal Reymond and François-Xavier Adam from the finance department, Dieudonné Tancoano, Africa coordinator, as well as Ulrich Bossou, head of communication.
The interventions, both demanding and supportive, enabled a genuine transfer of experience for all participants.
What they say: testimonials that speak for themselves
🇧🇫Burkina Faso– Jean Théodore LOMPO
“I had a wonderful week in Sichem, filled with knowledge and sharing. I leave with a feeling of joy and I thank the Lord for allowing us to experience these intense moments of fraternity, conviviality, and communion. We are now equipped to amplify and sustain the Fondacio movement in Burkina Faso.”
🇨🇬 Congo-Brazzaville– Rodrigue KOUA KE
“This exchange provided me with practical tools to better manage the financial resources of my project and to better understand the challenges and opportunities for Fondacio in Congo. The speakers shared concrete experiences that helped me a great deal. I also made valuable contacts with other development actors.”
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🇬🇭 Ghana - Daniel Kwame Adorkortsey
« My name is Daniel Kwame Adorkortsey, a Ghanaian and single young man who once felt restless while seeking God’s purpose. I first discovered Fondacio in a booklet at the Foyer de Charité retreat center in Ghana, and later learned more in 2015 through Mr. Gabriel Amuzu in Togo. Joining Fondacio opened the door for me to attend the Budget and Development workshop in Sichem — an experience that was highly educative and helped me deeply understand Fondacio’s mission. The Generation Leaders training also gave me clarity about my own personal mission and strengthened my desire to positively impact the lives of others.»
🇨🇩 RDC– Deppner
“This experience exceeded our initial expectations and proved to be enriching and directly applicable. Back in Kinshasa, we will put these skills into practice for our own development and that of the community. Very satisfied with Fondacio’s support, these skills will be useful to us for life, on a personal, professional, and community level.”
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🇨🇮 Ivory Coast - Modest
“The Budget and Development workshop was both a fun and deeply instructive experience for me. It allowed me to discover and develop essential skills for managing a project in the short, medium, and long term, while respecting the standards necessary for its success. I was delighted – and even fortunate – to participate in this event, which was experienced in a harmony and conviviality that can only be understood by experiencing it firsthand. This workshop was a true new tool for me to learn… and to take action.”
These feedbacks demonstrate an individual as well as a collective transformation: participants leave better trained, better equipped and deeply motivated.
A new dynamic for projects and communities
At the end of this week, one certainty emerges: each participant leaves with a renewed vision and a greater sense of responsibility.
More than a workshop, it was:
a space for discernment,
a laboratory of ideas,
a melting pot of brotherhood,
a renewed commitment to the populations being supported.
This meeting marks an important step in the structuring of Fondacio Afrique. It strengthens our collective capacity to act with impact, professionalism and humanity, in service of a more just and humane world.
Written by Mouinatou Ayélé FOLY
