Miala tsiny fa tsy mbola misy amin’ny teny malagasy ity lahatsoratra ity.
A summertime pilot scheme run by a centre we helped create, and which is run by a Money for Madagascar partner, has celebrated the success of its first summer activity programme.
From 7 July to 30 August, 140 children – 80 aged 4-11 and 60 aged 12-18 – took part in the Ankizy Gasy Mentoring Centre ‘summer sessions’, attending workshops and classes in subjects and classes the children requested, designed to complement their school education, as well as to give vulnerable families a safe space for their children to learn, and receive nutritious food to help combat hunger.
The courses included craft and creativity, hygiene and ‘soft skills’, cooking, English, IT, embroidery and crochet, and Maths and calculation skills (the latter especially for youngsters just beginning secondary school). Trainers also provided personal development and orientation sessions for final year students, and education on adolescence, personal development and income-generating activities.
Also in attendance, helping the sessions and workshops run well, were volunteer university students, who had themselves benefitted form services provided by Ankizy Gasy, and were using their vacation period to assist.
Mrs Rajaotahiana Farambolatiana, Ankizy Gasy Project Coordinator, said: ‘This is just the beginning.
‘We wanted to test whether the activities really corresponded to the needs of the children. At the beginning of the school year, we will continue the sessions every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday.
‘Information technology, which has had a considerable impact, will be strengthened through the recruitment of a specialised trainer. We will also set up after-class activities: tutoring, language courses (English and French), and personalised support for children.’
She added: ‘The courses and workshops have had a really positive effect. The children have become more confident and open, their relationship with trainers and educators has been strengthened, and in their daily lives, their parents are reporting that they have improved in cleanliness, discipline, politeness and involvement in family tasks.’
The Mentoring Centre opened in Ambohidratrimo on Saturday 1 March 2025. The town is just 15km from Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo, and five km from its international airport. It is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanisation, but remains underdeveloped, lacking roads and access to water and electricity.
The centre, constructed using funding from the Aeolian Foundation secured by Money for Madagascar, is dedicated to improving health, learning and living standards in the town.
And this pilot scheme is one example of how it is doing so.
Fabien Hajaniaina, 13, said: ‘It was during the holidays that I visited this centre for the first time. Thanks to the activities I have taken, I have improved my skills in mathematics and English, subjects that I did not master well in school. But coming here has allowed me to master both subjects, and I now also master computer science. My participation in the Mentoring Centre has also allowed me to improve my skills.’
Ricardia, 14, explained: ‘I learned crafts like bracelet making and crochet by participating in holiday activities at the Mentoring Centre. Among the activities I enjoyed the most were learning to cook and learn English. Today, I feel that my English skills have improved compared to school.‘
Judicaël Raolarimalala, mother of two children who attended the mentoring centre, said: ‘My children
started going to the centre during the holidays. I like to send my children here, because they don’t waste time and learn a lot by going there. I have noticed many changes in my children since they arrived: they have become polite, they clean well, they no longer argue and are not rude at home, they are more eager to learn and I feel that they are more open-minded since they arrived. I would like to thank the NGO Ankizy Gasy for its help in the care, education, follow-up, education and learning of our children. We hope that this will continue.’
Jacqueline Rasoavololona, also a mother of a child who attends the centre, added: ‘My daughter started coming to the centre as soon as I heard that there were activities during the school year, and she continued during the holidays. I encouraged her to go so that she wouldn’t waste her time at home or hang out, but rather look for something useful. The changes I have noticed in my daughter are as follows:
‘She is no longer a rebel. She now knows how to cook, which she couldn’t do before. Learning computer science was one of the things I enjoyed the most here, we were supposed to teach our daughter in computer science, but teaching here was free. We are very grateful to the NGO Ankizy Gasy and those who support it for this. I want to take learning about computers and cooking at the mentoring centre to the next level so that children can practice these skills in their lives.‘
English
Cymraeg
Français