Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Constantin Assi, I am 40 years old and I come from Togo.
What is your learned or studied profession?
I am a manager/accountant with an education in project management.
What year did you start working at VSF-Suisse?
I joined the VSF-Suisse team in Togo in January 2007 and celebrated my 15th anniversary with the organization last year!
Congratulations on this anniversary! And what is your role?
I am responsible for administration and finances in the country office in Togo.
Which aspect of your work do you like the most?
Making sure that the finances in the projects are properly managed. Good accounting strengthens partnerships and builds trust. Only with careful work can we ensure the traceability of funds, transparency and good financial management of the projects. But I also appreciate leaving the office from time to time to get in touch with the people we support with our projects. This helps me to get to know the realities of our people at the grassroots level and to follow up on the investments that are made in favor of the vulnerable classes. It gives me pleasure to see that the actions of VSF-Suisse support the efforts of my country in the field of development and poverty alleviation.
What are the biggest challenges in your work?
6. What are the main challenges in your work? With the increase of VSF-Suisse’s project portfolio here in Togo, one of the biggest challenges is to increase my level of financial management in order to effectively and efficiently manage the available resources. I hope that this will allow me to contribute to positively impacting the outcomes of the projects through my good work.
Tell us an anecdote from your work that you will never forget.
The encounters with people and seeing that our work makes a difference. For example, on a field visit, a man with a big smile showed me his new house that he had built thanks to an income-generating activity as part of one of our projects. Or, one day, a woman who was helped to build her small ruminant farm confessed to me that she was able to finance the start of her children’s schooling thanks to the sale of a ram.
In your opinion, what distinguishes the work of VSF-Suisse from that of other organizations or actors in the sector (if anything)?
The professionalism and team spirit are inspiring. I also love that we are a young and very dynamic team.
What is your passion outside of work? What hobbies do you have?
Football and comedy nights!
Is there anything you would like to tell the world?
The current global economic crisis, the Covid 19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the deterioration of the lives of vulnerable populations due to the rising prices of energy and essential goods – all this has widened the gap between rich and poor. Only with global solidarity can we overcome these and coming challenges!
Thank you for your commitment, Constantin!
