By Firmain Eric Mbadinga
They are a joy to behold on stage, feet moving rhythmically to the staccato beats of tom-toms, and faces lit up by smiles as bright as the spotlight.
The children of Association Kpadomeviwo du Togo (AKDT) dance with the grace of seasoned artists, each performance a testament to their spirit and resilience.
Offstage, it's a different story. It starts the moment these young performers, aged between 6 and 20, swap their vibrant costumes for faded, often oversized everyday clothes. Only their smiles remain, masking the torment coursing through their lives.
Amid the gloom, one man stands undaunted as their beacon – 35-year-old Koffi Mensah Agbelessessi, head of the association and heart of the AKDT dance troupe.
It all began with Koffi visiting an orphanage in Atakpamé, the fifth largest city in Togo, for a performance. What he saw there – needy children and women clinging to the last vestiges of hope – moved him beyond words.
"I saw the needs of these children and the love the women showered on them, although they had very little to get by. Atakpamé being my mother's hometown, I also felt an instant connection. I decided to take the kids under my wing. Thus began my self-funded mission," he recounts to TRT Afrika.
Small beginnings
Back in Lomé, where AKDT took shape in 2017, Koffi would walk the beaches and streets to talk to children looking for a spark to brighten their dreary lives.
Using the earnings from his dance performances, he rented a room in the Bè-Ahligo Dekadjev neighbourhood to provide these homeless children the sanctuary they desperately craved.
The children affectionately call him "coach”, a testament to the trust and respect he has earned.
At AKDT, the street children learn to dance and rebuild their self-esteem. Some even reconnect with their families.
But it's not always easy. Some children are reluctant to share their past; sometimes, their families are just as reticent.
Building trust
To foster openness, Koffi and his team engage the children in regular discussions. Men mentor the boys; women counsel the girls. No topic is off-limits.
Everything is discussed openly and honestly, from personal hygiene to health issues, stories, and experiences.
Koffi crafts earrings, bracelets, and other fashion accessories from cardboard, plastic, or cloth to support the association. These are sold in Europe and at local exhibitions, fetching additional funds to help more children go off the streets.
AKDT has grown over the years, and so has the idea of forming a dance troupe with the children.
Inspired by the performances of their "coach", the children had asked him to teach them to dance.
Koffi happily obliged, buying tom-toms and dance outfits for them to start what would come to be known as the AKDT dance troupe.
Beyond dance
Performance earnings are channeled into projects that provide schooling for children who either have no family or cannot return to them.
Koffi uses social media to garner support for his mission of reintegrating these children into society. His efforts have borne fruit, with some children successfully reintegrated into their families or NGOs, while others remain under his care, attending school.
Not all stories have happy endings, though. Some children, once under the protective wing of the Togolese Samaritan, return to the harsh realities of street life.
Koffi finds this deeply distressing, aware of the risks these children face — such as insecurity, abuse, and various forms of trafficking.
According to UNICEF, an estimated 30 million children in Africa live on the streets. In Togo alone, which has a population of at least eight million, around 7,000 children are believed to be living on the streets.
AKDT is a lifeline for some of these children, offering them not just dance and schooling, but also vocational training in fields like hairdressing, catering and mechanic services. All of this is done with the support of a handful of generous partners.
While the journey hasn't been easy, the benevolence of people - both at home and abroad - who sometimes donate money, encourages Koffi to keep going.
"This money is used for food and medical care, ensuring the children's basic needs are met," Koffi tells TRT Afrika.
"Some of these kids ended up on the streets because of problems linked to violence and drug abuse in their families, while others were abused. I hope to see a little more help coming their way."
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