
On the International Day of Education, we restate our commitment, through our Education for Life programme, to working with Malagasy people to improve health, welfare and education to benefit entire communities now and into the future.
The UN-led International Day of Education is held on 24th January every year, to support actions to deliver ‘inclusive, equitable and quality education for all’.
UESCO reported that in 2024, around 258 million children and young people still did not attend school, and 617 million children and adolescents could neither read, nor do basic maths.
It also noted that less than 40 per cent of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school, and around four million children and young refugees are out of school. Their right to education – a fundamental human and children’s right – is being violated.
At Money for Madagascar we take education extremely seriously.
We know that a decent education, in an appropriate setting, with well-trained teachers and quality, modern equipment, can transform a child’s – or indeed an adult, of any age’s – life.
Beyond that, we know that helping children and adults alike reach their potential can almost immeasurably improve young people’s lives, as well as those of their entire community.
In Madagascar, 79.9 per cent of Malagasy people live on US$2.15 (£1.73) per day or less. This poverty has shocking and unacceptable outcomes, including that one in ten Malagasy children do not reach their tenth birthday, while nearly 50 per cent suffer stunting caused by malnutrition.
In education terms, it’s also extremely harmful: 40 per cent of Malagasy children do not even complete primary school, for reasons including that their families have so little money their children are forced to work rather than attend school, and that families or responsible adults have too little money to pay school fees and/or provide equipment such as pens and books.
Many of those who can attend are prevented from achieving their true potential by illness caused by malnutrition, or hunger preventing them from focusing on learning.
With your help, and thanks in part to your generous donations, and our hard-working partners, we are responding, working to meet the needs – and reasonable desires – of Malagasy adults and children for decent education for all.
Our Education for Life (EFL) programme works with Malagasy people to help them deliver and benefit from high-quality education.
Its initiatives include:
- paying young people’s school fees
- helping adults access education to improve their livelihoods and provide for their children and others
- providing food and clean water to children at school
- providing infrastructure to help enable communities to reach school as well as other vital services including hospitals
- carrying out school rebuilds and refurbishments
- training teachers
- providing children with school kits and schools with computers and tablets to improve education standards
In some cases, MfM also provides shelter to young people, including ensuring their access to school.
We are committed, on the International Day of Education and beyond, and with your help and that of our Malagasy partners, to continuing our work with Malagasy people to improve health, welfare and education to benefit entire communities now and into the future.