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Miala tsiny fa tsy mbola misy amin’ny teny malagasy ity lahatsoratra ity.
A huge thank you from us to everyone who helped to create the new dormitory at the AAB Centre, for boys unable to live with their families.
A dormitory for boys unable to live with their families has been officially opened at a centre we support.
The new dormitory at the AAB Centre, a service on the outskirts of Malagasy capital Antananarivo which provides the shelter, food, healthcare, education, clothes, care and attention they need and deserve, was officially inaugurated on Wednesday 18 June.
The building, which has been constructed thanks to your donations, the work of MfM, and significant input – financial, equipment, organisational and technical – from 19 companies and organisations*, including Radisson Blu, the German Embassy, the TALIS Group, SANIFER, French Fair, the AXIAN Foundation, and the friends of the Analamanga Lions Club, has eight bedrooms and can sleep 48 boys.
The 18.5m x 9m x 2.7m dormitory’s construction, carried out by UPBAT construction company, took six months, starting on 27 December 2024.
As many of you already know, the new dormitory was an urgent necessity because the centre’s previous sleeping quarters, which had space for 34 boys, was destroyed by fire on 20 September 2024.
Fortunately, no-one was injured in this blaze, in part because the boys were at school, and the local community including AAB staff worked swiftly to extinguish the fire, but the dormitory was ruined.
Fourteen of the boys were placed with foster families, or, where possible, returned to stay with relatives. Twenty stayed at the site’s old dormitory, a total which rose to 26 when some of the 14 had to return.
The inauguration ceremony was a celebration of the new building’s completion, and also a pledge to ensure that the current cohort of boys – and all those who follow them – will be helped to live the lives they want and deserve.
The event began with a worship service led by Pastor Dr. Denis Rakotozafy, the Vice-President of the FFPM (the Federation of Protestant Churches in Madagascar, which owns the AAB Centre).
The service’s sermon was delivered by FFPM president Pastor Dr. Irako Andriamahazosoa Ammi, who encouraged the children to keep hope and faith in life, inspired by the book of Job, chapter 8, verse 7: ‘Even if you started small, you will end up being great.’
Speeches were made by delegates including a representative of the children of the AAB centre, the centre’s director the Mayor of Ampanefy, a representative of the donors François Van Rens, of Radisson Blu Hotel, a representative of the Malagasy Ministry of Justice (as many of the boys are referred to the centre by the Malagasy court), a representative of the Ministry of Population and Solidarity and the FFPM’s president.
Monsieur Van Rens said: ‘On behalf of all those who have contributed to this construction, most of whom are already long-standing partners of the Akany Avoko, we are all convinced of the need to sustainably improve the infrastructure in Bevalala. The shock of the fire gave us the impetus to act without delay. This event has shown us that together, where there is a will, there is a way! Thanks to massive, rapid and spontaneous support, the work was able to start quickly.
‘A huge thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the generosity of many donors.
‘We are all very proud of what has been accomplished. On behalf of all of us, a very big congratulations to the UPBAT team for its perseverance, commitment, professional management and very transparent communication. We would also like to thank the Akany Avoko team for the careful monitoring of the work.
‘A big thank you to the boys of the AAB centre for their warm welcome and their smiles, which touch us deeply every time we visit. We will continue to support this centre, as there is still much to be done to make your home warmer and more friendly.’
Pastor Irako Andriamahazosoa said: ‘We thank our Lord Jesus for allowing us to gather today, and we give thanks for this beautiful achievement that we salute here. Thank you sincerely for everything you have done for the AAB centre, to all those who have contributed to this beautiful construction. The work carried out is not only of high quality, but it has also been accomplished in a remarkable time, for the benefit of the children.
‘We are deeply touched by your gestures of love and solidarity. God bless you. This work is particularly close to our hearts: Akany Avoko Bevalala, Ambohidratrimo and Faravohitra, because it is a work of education. Congratulations to everyone who lives at the AAB centre. May God bless this new building as well as all the actions undertaken here to achieve the objective of the FFPM: to form a good generation, good citizens and good Christians. All those who work in this direction are God’s co-workers. Thank you all!’
Certificates and trophies of recognition were then presented to the representatives of the institutions and organisations that financed the construction of the new dormitory, the ribbon was cut, and the new dormitory was officially open.
We thank every single person who contributed anything, however big or small, to help make this new safe space for boys distanced from their families a reality. Thank you, and we pledge to help ensure every boy who comes through this centre will get all the help and support they need and deserve, to reach their potential and hep themselves and their communities.
*The companies and organisations in attendance were The Malagasy Ministries of Justice and of Population and Solidarity, Monaco’s Department of International Cooperation, the German Embassy, Money for Madagascar, Lions Club Antananarivo Analamanga, Radisson Blu Hotel, Talys Group (SANIFER), French Fair, the Axian Foundation, Families for Malagasy Children, Children’s NGOs, Quality of Child Protection Care in Madagascar, VITAFOAM, Programme for Aid and Development for the Children of the World (PADEM), Air Colibri, the Atsimondrano District, the rural municipality of Ampanefy, and Malaho Village.
