Sponsorship: Ipsos commits to health in Togo

Emmanuelle Rousset, an Ipsos employee who has been involved with La Chaîne de l'Espoir as a donor for over 15 years, talks about how and why she supported the "Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo" project with the Ipsos Foundation. An inspiring interview on the power of individual commitment to the health and well-being of children at school.

Emmanuelle Rousset, who has been involved with La Chaîne de l’Espoir for almost fifteen years, joined Ipsos thirteen years ago, working in the Innovation department. She was quickly impressed by La Chaîne de l’Espoir ‘s unique ability to mobilize people around concrete actions that bring about major, lasting change.

This same commitment to involvement can be found at Ipsos, the world leader in market research with a presence in over 90 countries, whose Foundation has supported over 100 educational projects for underprivileged children since 2014, with nearly 3 million euros invested.

This unique sponsorship, supported by the direct involvement of employees via a network of ambassadors, enables the construction of schools and the distribution of teaching materials. It was within this framework that Ms. Rousset was able to carry out her project.

In 2024, convinced by the “Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo” (MSME) program, whose values were in line with those of the Ipsos Foundation, she submitted it to the latter to promote a healthy and protective school environment, by better integrating health issues at school.

Emmanuelle Rousset: a personal and professional commitment to a healthier, fairer school environment

Having successfully presented the “Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo” project to the Ipsos Foundation, Emmanuelle Rousset looks back on her long-standing commitment to La Chaîne de l’Espoir, and the meaning she gives to this action, both as a donor to our association and as an employee of Ipsos.

Read the interview with Emmanuelle Rousset

Why did you get involved with La Chaîne de l’Espoir?

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an association that I have been following for over fifteen years, and for which I am personally a donor. I’ve always been a firm believer in the principle that “small streams make big rivers”, and the actions of La Chaîne de l’Espoir are based on this idea that, if everyone contributes in whatever way they can, by giving their time, skills or financial support, we can create a chain of solidarity that helps disadvantaged children. This association not only provides solutions for the children, it also trains and supports local staff so that they can become masters of their own future. I’ve known about La Chaîne de l’Espoir for over 20 years. After hearing an interview on France Inter, I became a donor. When I returned from maternity leave, the Ipsos Foundation launched its call for projects and, at the same time, I received a newsletter about the project Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo (My health, my school: a collective challenge in Togo). It was this combination of factors that prompted me to contact La Chaîne de l’Espoir.

How was the project selected by the Ipsos Foundation?

When Ipsos put out a call for candidates for its foundation, I immediately thought of La Chaîne de l’Espoir. I’d just learned about the “My health, my school: a collective challenge in Togo” project, and the fit with our foundation’s values was perfect. An initial selection was made to verify the alignment of values. I then made a short presentation (10 minutes) to the board, followed by a question-and-answer session. A video of less than 2 minutes was shown. The personal testimony of a child helped reinforce the impact of the presentation. I’m very proud that the Foundation has agreed to participate, in 2024 and 2025, in the “Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo” project, helping to distribute hot meals, finance information magazines, educational clubs on key subjects (hygiene, non-violence, domestic accidents, etc.), as well as the detection of learning disabilities.

How does Fondation Ipsos involve its employees internally?

Within Ipsos, each employee can sponsor an association and defend a project with the Foundation. When projects take place in countries where Ipsos is present, we can also organize volunteer days to enable employees to get involved in the missions supported by the Foundation. It’s basically a pragmatic link, as I knew La Chaîne de l’Espoir before I joined Ipsos. I then became what Ipsos calls a “sponsor”. I also acted as an in-house communications relay and helped to disseminate content on the MSME program. So I’m regularly involved in sharing information about La Chaîne de l’Espoir, particularly when the foundation wants to communicate about the projects it supports (presentations of the partnership at Ipsos, publication of an in-house article, posts on the networks, etc.).

“Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo”, a school health project run by La Chaîne de l’Espoir

Since 2002, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been developing two major programs in Togo: one to improve access to surgical care for sick children, and the other to strengthen school health through an integrated approach. This second program is based on three essential pillars:

education in hygiene, health and well-being
detection of learning disabilities,
and the implementation of healthy and sustainable study conditions.

It was against this backdrop that the “Ma santé, mon école : un enjeu collectif au Togo” project was launched in April 2022 , for a three-year period and a total budget of 1.4 million euros. The project currently involves 16 schools in Lomé with a total of 1,800 pupils, who benefit from educational, health and nutritional support.

A committed partnership between the Ipsos Foundation and La Chaîne de l’Espoir

In 2024, the Ipsos Foundation provided financial support of €30,000 to La Chaîne de l’Espoir, to support the MSME project in Togo. In particular, this grant covered canteen costs for 500 vulnerable pupils a year, helping them to concentrate and succeed at school.

Convinced of the impact of this initiative, the Foundation has decided to renew its support in 2025, with a new grant of €35,000, in order to continue and strengthen the actions carried out by the La Chaîne de l’Espoir team in Togo.

You too can join our chain of solidarity and support our actions and projects within your company or corporate foundation.