When a consultant creates a community bar for education in Togo
We had the pleasure of interviewing Rémy about his project, which was selected as part of the agap2dream 2025 programme. Launched in 2020 by agap2, this programme aims to support the personal initiatives of Agapians. A consultant with agap2, he works with INGEVA, the brand specialising in sustainable mobility engineering.
Rémy’s plan is to set up a community bar in Paris to finance school supplies and work at the Liahona school in Togo. Find out more about his ambitions for his agap2dream initiative in this interview.
Rémy, can you tell us about your career at INGEVA?
R: I joined INGEVA Boulogne in July 2023. Initially, I worked as a works supervisor at the CENTRE BUS RATP D'IVRY site. This project is part of the NGV BUS2025 energy transition, aimed at modernising infrastructure to accommodate buses running on natural gas. Today, I’m working on OPC (planning, supervision and coordination) for a customer specialising in engineering to finalise this operation.
Can you tell us about your agap2dream project?
R: My project is based on the creation of a community bar-restaurant in Paris through my association Le Zèbre Jaune, which works actively to improve school conditions for children at the Liahona school in Togo. The school, which has 290 pupils, many of them orphans, needs school supplies, support for sanitary improvements, access to drinking water and other vital infrastructure. I chose Togo because my wife, who is also co-president of the association, is Togolese herself.
The community bar will unite members around shared values, while supporting an essential humanitarian cause. The profits generated by the bar-restaurant will be donated to the Le Zèbre Jaune association. These profits will help finance school supplies for the pupils and some necessary work on the school. Through this project, I want to show that everyone, at their own level, can take action and have a positive impact on the living conditions of others.
I’ve now found the premises to renovate for the bar-restaurant and I’m planning to open it this summer to welcome you all, but before that there’s work to be done!
Why did you apply for the agap2dream programme?
R: I already knew about the programme and had seen projects from previous years, such as the construction of a classroom in Senegal. I said to myself: if he could do it, why couldn’t I?
agap2dream gave me the opportunity to structure my project and get real support. Not only does this programme help Agapians to realise their ambitions, it also strengthens the corporate culture. I find this programme extremely motivating. At agap2, we’re not just another number in a big group. There’s a real momentum here and, as an employee, you feel valued.
How do you combine your role as a consultant at agap2 with this project?
R: It's often on public transport when the ideas I’ve been thinking about come together in my head, so I write them down. You have to be disciplined and not procrastinate. I spend about an hour a day on it. I think about it all the time.
I’d like to inspire my colleagues. Knowing that my project has touched them would be a real success for me. I’m convinced that everyone has the seed of a project in them, it’s just a question of giving it the impetus it needs to germinate!
What are your goals for the future?
R: Opening the community bar is the first step, but we’re looking beyond that. If it works, we’d like to develop the concept in other towns and finance even more initiatives: a centre for young mothers in difficulty, orphanages, for example. We’ve got lots of ideas and as long as we can, we’ll do it!
Any final message for those who would like to launch a project?
R: Everyone can have an impact, in their own way. You just have to dare.
At agap2, we are proud to support these projects, which bear witness to the wealth and commitment of Agapians. Follow the news and progress of Rémy’s project on our Instagram account!
