The North German Mission is a Protestant missionary society that spread Christianity in the German colonies of Ghana and Togo in West Africa. It was founded on 9 April 1836 and still exists today with its headquarters in Bremen. Connections to churches in the former colonies still exist today, and the work of the North German Mission is still in full swing there. Like other missionary societies at the time, the North German Mission played a large part in building up the colonial school system, in imparting the German language as well as European notions of "civilisation" and the German ideas of obedience, cleanliness and work. In addition, the North German Mission helped to induce the local population to go and work on the German plantations. These things were done in cooperation with the German colonial administration. The North German Mission also destroyed local faith traditions, among other things through the destruction of religious objects. Furthermore, they trained local citizens as Christian missionaries so that they too could teach the Christian message. Today the North German Mission supports so-called development programmes in Ghana and Togo, such as the building of wells and health centres, agricultural projects, water treatment and more.