Help Children in Madagascar Gain an Education

When Ranomafana Lycée (high school) was established in 2013, it was allocated five government-paid teachers but not provided with any infrastructure, leaving the high school students without a proper learning space. This is where SEED has stepped in, constructing a fully furnished three-classroom school site, with two gender-separate latrine blocks, and menstrual hygiene management facilities. While the Lycée is being built, students are attending classes in the local middle school and the mayor’s office but, with the construction on track to be completed by February 2020, the community of Ranomafana is very excited that Lycée students will soon have their own dedicated school site for the first time.

With less than three months until project close, construction is well underway: the foundation is complete, the walls are built, and the roof support has been installed. The installation of the roof has been particularly exciting for teachers, parents, and students alike because, in the Anosy region of Madagascar, Malagasy people refer to buildings without roofs as zebu (cattle) houses. When the roof support was installed the community remarked that “the building is no longer a zebu house, it is now a real school”.

During the remaining months, the construction team will render the floors, complete the veranda, and install windows, doors, and blackboards, finalizing it with a fresh coat of paint. We look forward to seeing the final elements of construction come together over the coming months, and moving the 245 enrolled students at the Lycée into their new school building.