Improving children's health and education

Progress at Mahatalaky Upper Secondary School is moving along beautifully, thanks to your support. Together, we’re creating a school where 93 students will soon have the resources to thrive, and we’re excited to share the latest milestones!

In Mahatalaky, the walls of our new classrooms and teacher accommodations now stand tall, symbolising a brighter future for a community where access to education has been limited. As we prepare for roof installation, rendering, and furniture assembly, the rooms begin to come to life.

The four gender-segregated latrines and dedicated menstrual hygiene management (MHM) facility, fostering health and well-being of the school community, are also underway with roofing beginning in November. A 10,000-litre rainwater harvesting system to provide clean drinking water for both the school and surrounding community will also be installed. These facilities will soon also feature handwashing stations equipped with behavioural ‘nudges’ including colourful murals designed to encourage good hygiene practices.

Community involvement remains a vital part of this project. In addition to establishing and training a committee of school staff and community leaders to manage the WASH facilities, SEED has provided students with essential hygiene and menstrual health education as well as safe water and sanitation education. Female students even took part in hands-on lessons to make their own reusable pads—a skill instilling both practical resources and confidence. Upon teachers’ request, additional MHM training for teaching staff was also provided, demonstrating the community’s determination for success.

As we approach the December 2024 completion date, we’re thrilled to share that the Mahatalaky project is on track, thanks to smart planning and incredible community support—even overcoming challenges like difficult road access and material transport! None of this would be possible without you, our generous donors. Thank you for believing in these students’ futures and the power of community-led change.

The work to improve child education and healthcare in southern Madagascar continues apace, with several new construction projects announced as others near completion.

The construction of Esinda Primary School is nearly finished: the three-classroom building has been erected, along with two latrine blocks, menstrual hygiene management facilities, and teacher accommodation. The construction and installation of the roof for the school should be finished this summer. Training sessions provided to teachers and parents for best practices in sanitation and hygiene had begun earlier this year.

Beandry School is similarly nearing completion and is awaiting the installation of its roof. As well as hygiene facilities, the Beandry site has also benefited from a thorough cleaning of its groundwater well and the pump mechanisms replaced. Menstrual hygiene management information sessions have started in nearby Mahatalaky village, with 37 students participating in the first two of three reusable pad-making sessions.

With Beandry and Esinda Schools on track to be finished as planned this summer, the Programme Sekoly team were delighted to confirm that funding was now in place for the construction of six new classrooms across the Fort Dauphin region. The sites have been selected, and planning has already begun with construction at the first sites scheduled to begin in October. More news on these projects will follow in the next update.

All school construction projects delivered by SEED are designed to improve both long-term education and health. A project is never just a classroom: gender-segregated hygiene facilities, accessible clean drinking water stations, and teacher accommodation if needed – along with the provision of all the necessary training to make the best use of these resources – are included in project plans. 

A huge thank you from all of the SEED team goes out to our generous donors and partners. Your support has been invaluable in making all of this happen.