After Canada's victory in the Davis Cup to end the season in style, Félix Auger-Aliassime, 22, could have set sail for the sandy beaches and coconut palms.
Instead, the world No. 6, who had a thunderous last quarter on the circuit, flew to Togo.
Since 2020, the Quebecer, of Togolese origin through his father, has been participating with BNP Paribas and the NGO CARE in #FAAPointsforChange to promote education and protect the rights of children on the lands of their ancestors, in the region of la Kara, 400 km north of the capital Lomé.
The principle is simple.
For each point won, the Canadian gives 5 dollars and BNP Paribas adds 15. The counter now stands at 16,486 points (nearly 330,000 dollars).
“We are very happy to support a tennis player who is committed in this way to concretely help nearly 2,500 children in Togo in ten villages, breathes Vincent-Baptiste Closon, head of BNP Paribas partnerships.
He is coming out of a very busy season and dedicating his short vacation to spending time here, with the children, to understand the usefulness of the help we provide together.
It also allowed us to project ourselves on what more we could do, in particular the development of apprenticeship programs or the renovation of additional sports fields.
»
To give an idea, one point earned allows the creation of five school support groups for children.
A match won offers teaching materials to four schools for one school year…
Is this your first visit to Togo?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME
.
No.
I came for two weeks in 2013 to visit the country, see where my father grew up and discover my family.
It was the first time I met my maternal grandmother and some uncles.
It was wonderful.
Here I am under another status and with another eye.
It's different.
(Smile)
I didn't land on the tarmac with the people waiting for me.
I wanted a discreet, normal and humble arrival.
But afterwards, in the schools and places we visited, there was always a festive welcome, with traditional songs and dances of welcome.
I didn't have that nine years ago!
I saw the progress of the project, the impact we have in the schools, in the professional sectors (carpenter, welder, seamstress, etc.) in the different villages.
Why is it important to come on site?
It's essential.
I have been sent photos, reports, but it is not the same thing to experience it, to feel it, to discuss on the spot with the speakers or with the teenagers who benefit from the project.
It's amazing how we can change their lives.
For example, I met a young seamstress.
If she had not had the opportunity to do her training, which will give her a diploma in a year and perhaps allow her to have her own workshop, she would probably be trafficked, sent to Nigeria or Africa. of the West and you can imagine the rest… Often these are orphans or children with a single parent, who have to fend for themselves.
CARE helps guide them.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by We Are Tennis (@wearetennis)
When did you want to help?
My father told me many stories of his childhood, the missed opportunities.
He was able to go to Canada and give me the opportunity to grow up there, but that's not the reality for everyone.
Our parents opened our eyes to this with my sister
(Editor's note: her mother did international cooperation in Togo in the 1990s)
.
It's important to give back whenever we can.
In 2013, I was extremely touched.
A little money had been given to a young girl who was selling bread with her mother by the side of the road.
She was moved, touched, a smile on her face.
It wasn't much for us but so much for her… I thought to myself that I would like to do even more than that.
The paradox is to practice a king sport in selfishness and egocentrism...
I try to have a global and long-term vision of my life.
Today, I am a tennis player but that will not always be the case.
Like a young person building his life, I have to build my career.
But it's not really selfish because the best way to help one day in a solid way is already to be well in place yourself.
If I have a good career, if I become the best tennis player I can be, if I am a role model for young people, I will have a lot more means and time to help when it stops.
If I had started to disperse myself from adolescence or my beginnings pro to give my time everywhere, I would be a less good player now and I could help less.
In the end, no one would win.
""I'm not doing this to have a better conscience""
Many players have foundations.
Is it also a way to clear your conscience?
I cannot speak for the others but I am aware of the help I received, that it is not the same for everyone.
I have childhood friends who weren't as successful as me.
I don't do this to have a better conscience or tell myself that I'm going to sleep better at night.
But if I did nothing, I would surely be less comfortable with myself.
Sharing is important.
A cheerful Félix Auger-Aliassime in Togopic.twitter.com/hPoC3rkaQV
— 𝐿𝓁𝒶𝓂𝒶 𝕊𝕒𝕪𝕤☄🌠🚀 (@tennis_lol) December 1, 2022
Would you also like to support the development of tennis in Togo?
We'll see… My father has a Team Africa project.
He made a first pre-selection of young people who came from all over Africa for an internship in our Quebec academy.
He wants to try to set up something one day in West Africa.
After all, it's still a dilemma.
Tennis is our passion, we are into it but at times there are things much more urgent than tennis.
It's a balance to find.
There are even much more critical needs than what I am doing right now.
In Togo, we are lucky to have a tropical climate, not too many famines or droughts.
But in other countries, it's really a problem.
The positive point for everyone is that this project is costing you more and more money
(Editor's note: according to its victories)
?
That's also what makes it fun and fun.
Every time I win, everyone wins.
(
Laughs)
So, I would say there is no limit!
Young people are interested in tennis, they watch the matches a little, they feel involved.
When they do not have access to the images, the volunteers give them news.
During this stay, I saw what could also be improved, refined.
It's just the beginning, I hope to build something solid here.