The last three editions of the World Happiness Report have ranked the small nation of Togo dead last. As I dug into the World Happiness Report and examined the criteria by which countries were ranked, it became painfully clear to me why Togo landed at the bottom of the list. Most of the six dimensions used to measure happiness are tied in one way or another to poverty, which is omnipresent in Togo. Not only are Togo’s GDP and life expectancy among the lowest in the world, other measures including social support and generosity are severely limited by a lack of resources. Togo has received this ranking as the saddest country on earth in large part because it has been overlooked by the international aid community for the better part of the last quarter century. Countries such as America, with a rich history of offering foreign assistance, have forgotten about the women of Togo at a time when they need us most.

As an American woman who has worked in Togo for the past decade, I can tell you that while its official happiness ranking may be low, the warmth of its residents is second to none. I have found the people of Togo, especially Togolese women, to be among the kindest and most generous — not to mention strong and supportive — I’ve encountered anywhere. On a recent visit, one young woman named Deborah conveyed to me the sense of purpose she feels serving her neighbors as a Community Health Worker. In spite of the devastating poverty and lack of basic infrastructure that exists in Togo, the women of Togo have seemingly figured out what many Americans turn to expensive therapy, counseling, and yoga retreats to seek out: namely positivity, generosity of spirit, and hope that their children’s lives will be better than their own.