"I study hard because when I am older I want to be a medical assistant so I can help my little brothers and sisters in the Foyer. When I leave the Foyer I’ll still live nearby and come back to help the children."
Jacqueline Houndoga, Foyer Nanoviwo orphanage

"I’d like to become a lawyer and to have a successful career, of course. I’d like to go to England to study because if I studied in England my qualifications would be accepted all over Europe, and I want to work in Europe, or America, where lawyers make a lot of money. And of course I’d like to have a very nice family, and to die peacefully in my bed at 80!"
Licia Brunet-Veneroni, 14, British School of Lomé, Togo
Licia is from France but has spent most of her life in Togo

"My biggest wish is to be an air hostess because if I could be an air hostess I would earn a lot of money to help my brothers and sisters here in the Foyer. I want to travel to other countries to see how other people live. I don’t know anything about any other countries, I have never been anywhere but Togo. In order to train as an air hostess I would have to go to Europe."
Julienne Houndoga, 15,  Foyer Nanoviwo orphanage

"I hope to become either an architect, because I like fashionable houses and I also like drawing, or else an economist, in order to help develop my country’s economy for the future. I may go back to Ghana to work, or I may go to Canada because I really like the way they design their buildings in Canada."
Selom Ahadji, 13, British School of Lomé, Togo
Selom is from Ghana but has spent almost all his life in Togo

"I would like to be a journalist when I’m older because my favourite subjects are French and composition... I’m very optimistic for my future, but not really for the future of Togo. In many ways I fear things are going from bad to worse for the country and I would prefer to go and live in Europe than to stay here in Togo."
Kounalé Yves Apedoh, 16,  Foyer Nanoviwo  orphanage

"I hope to be a journalist when I’ve finished my studies but even if I succeed in becoming a journalist I would still want to stay close to the Foyer in order to help. I would like to travel to other countries, particularly to England so that I could improve my English. I don’t really know anything about England, but I do want to learn to speak English well because that would help me in my career."
Roger Yao Zakpa, 15, Foyer Nanoviwo orphanage

Photo by Mike Rimmer

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