Programme Sekoly: Antahovary Primary School

SEED Madagascar is continuing to raise funding for the construction of Antahovary Primary School as part of Programme Sekoly. On-site planning will begin in October 2024, with full construction scheduled to begin in November 2024. Donations toward the construction are urgently needed, as the original school was destroyed by fire in January 2021. Since that time, a 3-metre squared room attached to the Village Leader’s house (pictured) has been used to try and teach 150 students. The insufficient space has led to teaching being held outdoors, and around 100 students have dropped out of their lessons. 250 students attended the previous school before the fire.

Once construction is underway in November, SEED will build three fully-furnished classrooms. The construction plan further includes hygiene facilities for students: five gender-segregated latrines, a designated menstrual hygiene facility, and access to water through a 10,000-litre rainwater harvesting system. Teachers will benefit from the construction of on-site teachers’ accommodation.

Drawing on experience in the successful construction of other schools in Madagascar, SEED will install solar energy facilities to provide LED lighting for the school and power banks to the local community, helping to minimise the use of kerosene lamps that are harmful to health.

In addition, as with other completed school projects, SEED will maintain the Sekoly Maintso (“Green Schools” in Malagasy) programme to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from the construction of Antahovary Primary School. This is achieved by establishing tree-planting sites with input from the local community. After five years, these trees will be available to the community for use as resources, with a programme of re-planting to ensure ongoing sustainability. 

With construction due to start this coming November, any and all donations are appreciated. The Programme Sekoly team is greatly appreciative of the generosity of all donors thus far.