In 1993, Komla Abgoban and Kodzo Agbenyega Tsolenyanu, alongside some high school students and apprentices, founded MARS, the Movement of Action for Social Renewal (le Mouvement d'action pour le renouveau social in French) in Tsévié. They fought against the causes of the school drop-out rate: families’ financial difficulties caused by the drop in soil fertility and speculation on the prices of agricultural products. They introduced the use of compost, created a fund for loans to help small farmers avoid middle-men speculators and brought the women together in cooperatives in order to increase the value of their produce.
In 2007, Emmaus International and Emmaus Africa organised a visit to Togo to meet the local organisations which shared their values and objectives. MARS became a member in 2012.
