Returning with Purpose: The Next Phase of Sustainable Classrooms

After over 40 hours of travel, I’ve landed back in Togo—and I couldn’t be more grateful to be here again.

This trip marks the next chapter of Sustainable Classrooms’ pilot project, and although I’ll be here for a shorter stay this time - just 42 days - it comes with more focus, direction, and purpose than before. We are finally stepping into the next phase of something we’ve worked incredibly hard to build.

Last fall, I arrived in Togo with the intention to listen, learn, and lay the groundwork, also with the awareness that I had a lot to unlearn. I spent my time meeting with teachers, surveying school sites, testing our recycled plastic brick process, and beginning to understand what it truly means to partner with a community (not from a place of all-knowing, but with openness and, at times, discomfort as I recognized my own assumption) and to collaborate on shared goals and decisions rather than approaching them from a top-down, service-oriented mindset. This time, we’re returning with relationships we are continuing to build and a foundation of momentum. Last visit was an incredible and at times challenging learning experience for me. I was far from perfect, but I am taking what I learned with me into this next phase of activities, and I am grateful for the support and grace of those I am building partnerships and relationships with.

Our goal with Sustainable Classrooms has never been to swoop in, build something, and leave. We’re not here for pats on the back or quick wins. We’re here to support and uplift communities by walking with them, not ahead of them or telling them where to walk. Our goal is to bring resources that allow for the co-creation of projects that are designed with the communities and their unique needs. Communities are the experts of their own needs and circumstances. We are here to actively listen to their needs, values, and priorities while supporting access to resources they can choose to utilize as they lead their own change. By building a foundation for long-term collaboration, trust, and accountability, we hope to be a partner in co-designing a solution that is practical, relevant, and culturally beneficial. 

This trip, I’ll be spending my days working closely with local partners to:

• Deepen connections in the communities we partner with

• Revisit our first classroom site in Gada-Kopé Adekpé and prepare for what’s next - launching construction, coordinating community efforts, and ensuring the systems we build are ready to grow

• Collaborating with the local construction team to make construction of the pilot build safe and successful - starting with laying the literal foundation

• Collaborate with teachers and schools on the supply and infrastructure needs they’ve identified

• Continue building a team and system that centers local leadership and knowledge

One of the challenges of working in Togo is the current inability of a nonprofit to register in the country. However, I am happy to announce that the Institute for Community Partnerships and Sustainable Development (ICPSD) is willing to be the sponsoring organization for the pilot project. The Togolese government is slowly relaxing restrictions on nonprofit registrations, and we hope to apply for ours in the near future. ICPSD’s guidance, generosity, and deep roots in the region will allow us to integrate further, improve our learning and knowledge to act with more cultural sensitivity, and ultimately deepen our impact. If you have not heard of ICPSD, they are a nonprofit founded by fellow University of Idaho graduates and have been operating in Togo since 2015. They use a community-led model to support ecosystem restoration efforts in the country. They have a native plant nursery and an experimental forest, work with local women’s cooperatives, and facilitate a youth leadership program to build engagement and knowledge in the youth. Their mission and values align beautifully with our purpose (their youth participate in community cleanup events as well), prioritizing community involvement and sustainability.

ICPSD joining Sustainable Classrooms on the field of GADA-KOPE ADEKPE.

The next six weeks will be full, but in the best way. It’s not about rushing to “get things done,” but about walking steadily, intentionally, and in alignment with the needs and hopes of the communities we are building partnerships with.

We’re here to build relationships, co-create sustainable solutions, and in that process, create classrooms for kids while reducing trash.

I’ll be sharing updates, photos, and reflections throughout the trip, and I can’t wait to bring you along with me.

Thanks for believing in this work and for standing with us.

 With gratitude from the ground in Togo,

Jestine Lackner

Founder, Sustainable Classrooms

The source of the Ewe people in Notsé, Togo.