“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries [World Bank 2020]. Thousands of Malagasy children don’t have access to schooling, with those enrolled in education likely to drop out before completion. The schools that do exist are unable to cope with the demand for places, and often lack basic water or hygiene facilities and even furniture.

In response to this crisis of education, our charity SEED Madagascar has been building schools in Madagascar. Thirty-five schools have been built or renovated over the last decade creating some 36,000 extra school places, providing vital access to education. Provision of hygiene and sanitation Infrastructure, along with extensive health and hygiene education, extend the benefits of our work well beyond education to community health.

Tsagnoriha school

Our next planned project focuses on the community of Tsagnoriha and will renovate an existing school while constructing an entirely new two-classroom building. The current school is greatly overcrowded with just one classroom being shared between 188 students and 7 teachers, resulting in a large waiting list and the majority of students only being able to study for half days.

This project will provide;

1. A new classroom building - This will provide classroom spaces for an additional 150 students and allow children to attend an entire day of school.
2. Teacher housing - 3 teacher rooms will also be constructed, providing the headmaster and his family, as well as 2 other members of staff reliable housing. The on-site housing aims to attract and retain quality teachers.
3. Rainwater harvesting - Two 5,000 Litre capacity rainwater harvesting systems will be installed. These will provide 5 months’ worth of clean drinking water without replenishment.
4. Bathrooms - Two sex-separated latrine facilities will be installed. With the two existing latrines, these four total facilities will reduce the student-to-latrine ratio to meet the national ministry guidelines of below 50:1.
5. Handwashing stations - Two handwashing stations will be constructed to foster an environment of hygiene and regular washing of hands amongst the children.
6. Menstrual hygiene - the girls’ bathroom will also include a menstrual hygiene facility giving the girls a safe and private space in which they can adopt positive hygiene practises.
7. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (WASH) - To complement the new infrastructure we will also be training 7 teachers to deliver a WASH curriculum to students to help them adopt better hygiene practises.

Following project completion, the community and education authority will be responsible for the ownership and managing all infrastructure. Committees will be established in the school and will receive training in infrastructure management, enabling them to make repairs and fund upkeep through the provision of surplus rainwater to the community.

Why is this project so important?

It has been well established that household education levels are linked to rates of poverty. In Madagascar, only 35% of children complete a primary level of education. Poor WASH practices kill 6,700 Malagasy children every year as well as contributing to disease, and preventing school attendance. This issue is most exaggerated in Madagascar’s southeast Anosy region. In this particularly impoverished region, half of 6-10-year old’s have never attended school. A staggering 97% of Anosy population lack access to basic sanitation.

By creating a space in which rural children have access to a good education, WASH facilities and clean water we are both providing children with the fundamental knowledge they need to be able to flourish as well as giving them hygiene education which will help to protect them from fatal diseases.

“The best anti-poverty programme is a world-class education” – Barack Obama

Donate now and help to transform a child’s future

• £20 could provide a school bench
• £45 could provide WASH training for 100 students
• £200 could provide one handwashing station
• £500 could provide 1 x 5000L rainwater harvesting facility
• £815 could provide one latrine block