‘I encourage my grandchildren to continue their education, because I lived for many years in ignorance, without knowing how to read or write. Now, at 68 years old, I finally had the chance to learn, and it has changed my life.’
Andry Rakotoarinaivo
Money for Madagascar’s Education for Life lives up to its name in more than one way: not only are we working to ensure that children and young people can access the education they deserve, to benefit themselves throughout their lives, and ensuring that these youngsters can achieve their full potential, improving the lives of their whole communities, we are also ensuring that whatever their age is, Malagasy men and women can also enter education and learn the skills they need.
Teenagers and adults in a rural Malagasy community have expressed their happiness after learning skills including how to read and write, thanks to a Money for Madagascar programme.
Money for Madagascar’s Education for Life works to ensure children can access the high-quality education they need and desrve, free from ill-health and hunger, to reach and fulfil the potential every child has.
In doing so, it improves the lives of everyone in those young people’s communities, helping the community as a whole as a result or confident, educated, innovative young people’s engagement in the world around them, and the ways they can change and improve it.
It also helps older people directly: Education for Life delivers improvements to infrastructure – roads, water supplies, school buildings – improves access to food, and, by stocking libraries accessible to all with books and technology, as well as through direct education and training, helps adults as well as children learn new skills, including some taught at school.
The programme came to the EPP Mandiavato (Mandiavato Primary School) at the start of the 2023–2024 school year, since when it has been delivered by our partner, Association Voahary Maintso (AVM).
The school is 100km from Malagasy capital Antananarivo, in the rural Mandiavato commune in Miarinarivo district, Itasy, and has 422 students, of whom 252 are girls and 170 boys.
Working alongside the school’s staff and directors, as well as the wider Mandiavato community, who guided us and AVM on their greatest needs, challenges and priorities, which along with direct education for children also included helping adults in the community strengthen or develop, and carry out, income-generating activities, to help children continue their education in better conditions.
Our work has so far included:
raising awareness about water, sanitation and hygiene
the establishment of a school canteen to provide food when other sources ran low
the beautification of the school environment
teacher training
training parents in vermicomposting, agroecological techniques, market gardening, setting up fruit and forest tree nurseries
nutrition workshopsa parental literacy programme
the installation of a library and a school garden, open to students, teachers and parents
Our parental literacy training has already had a remarkable impact.
Twenty-seven parents and other relatives of children at the school, (11 men, 16 women) aged 15-68, who were illiterate or had a low level of education, have enthusiastically taken part. They report that learning to read and write has enabled them to better manage their daily lives and develop their economic activities.
One of those, Andry Rakotoarinaivo, 68 years old, is a grandparent of a student at the school.
He said: ‘Before, I didn’t even know how to write my own name. Reading or writing was impossible for me.
‘Every time I had to go to an office for a procedure, I had to call someone to help me, and I had to pay them for this service. I signed documents without understanding what was written on them, relying only on what I was told.
‘Today, thanks to literacy, I don’t need anyone: I can read, write and even calculate our daily expenses and family income—something I never imagined before.
‘I encourage my grandchildren to continue their education, because I lived for many years in ignorance, without knowing how to read or write.
‘Now, at 68 years old, I finally had the chance to learn, and it has changed my life. I am proud to have taken these courses. They have truly transformed my life and given me a better understanding of my daily life. If the project runs a second level of literacy training course, I would be very happy to be able to continue.’
Malagasy
Cymraeg
Français
In doing so, it improves the lives of everyone in those young people’s communities, helping the community as a whole as a result or confident, educated, innovative young people’s engagement in the world around them, and the ways they can change and improve it.
‘Today, thanks to literacy, I don’t need anyone: I can read, write and even calculate our daily expenses and family income—something I never imagined before.
