Togo

Africa

Year opened: 2008

Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, moved to the United States after having to flea for their lives. Esaho was serving as a pastor and as general secretary to the parliament in Congo. Their journey began when Esaho spoke out against injustice and corruption. He served time in prison for his actions, and, after his release, was threatened until he feared for his family’s safety.

The Kipukes and their four children lived in New England for a time while Esaho served as a pastor. Then they moved to Cameroon to serve as missionaries. When they returned from Cameroon, the Kipukes had nowhere to live, no employment, and did not know where to turn for help. They showed up at The Mission Society headquarters and were given a place to stay.

The Kipukes are now opening a new field for The Mission Society in Togo. Only 29% of Togo’s nearly six million people follow the Christian faith. Twenty percent are Muslim and 51% practice indigenous faiths. In 2007, Togo held its first election that was deemed fair after decades of political abuse from former presidents. Previous leaders’ humanitarian rights abuses and political corruption made life difficult for most of the Togolese people. Only recently has Togo been accepted back into the international community.