Danielle Naugle and Kodjo Amoudji met in 2007 when Danielle was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kodjo’s village in Togo. They moved to the US, got married, had a few kids, and, in 2021, they moved their family back to Togo so that their children would have the opportunity to embrace their Togolese heritage, learn French and Ewe, and feel as at home in Togo as they do in the United States. Three days after they arrived, they opened the doors to their community school, Ecole Tournesol, with the slogan: “Learning is Fun!” 

The mission of Ecole Tournesol is to provide quality bilingual (French and English) education to the children in the Aképédo community in Togo. This means small classroom sizes, qualified teachers, and a safe and healthy learning environment. The school follows the Togolese curriculum in French, enriching it with access to additional resources and infusing it with English beginning in preschool.

Ecole Tournesol is growing by leaps and bounds. We started with 11 students in 2021; in 2025, we have 190 students enrolled.

We need your support to continue increasing access to quality education. Tuition at Ecole Tournesol is about $60 per student per year. To subsidize the enriched curriculum, Ecole Tournesol needs to raise an additional $100 per student per year. Given that we have 190 students, our 2025-2026 fundraising goal is $19,000. Please consider making a contribution today!