About the Project
The project consisted the construction of a rural, community preschool that will benefit the community’s youngest children. Additionally, Luena Foundation provided the funds to provide solar electricity to the local primary school.
Location
Idilana, District d’Antananarivo Avaradrano, Madagascar
Quick Project Stats
| Funding Date | December 2020 |
| Luena Investment | $4,500 |
| CBO Partner | Mazava Vent et Soleil de Madagascar |
| Village | Idilana |
| Country | Madagascar |
| # of Children Impacted | 125 per year |
| Community Contribution | manual labor, contribution of locally-available materials |
Inadequate Facilities Present Barriers to Learning and Livelihoods
Idilana village is located in the northeast of the capital Antananarivo, thirty kilometers from the city. The area is rural and remote, without electricity, limited access to medical care and only a single dirt access road. Houses are scattered on the hills above rice fields. There are 600 people leaving there, within approximatively 150 households. 90% of the villagers are subsistence farmers but also some are craftsmen, earning less than $2 a day. Idilana, like most villages in the region, did not have childcare facilities, which made it difficult for women to work in the fields while caring for their children.
Hand-in-Hand Effort Alongside the Local Community
Our donation of was used to build a preschool that enables several local women to work to feed their families while their young children receive quality care. The local government will be granting funding for two people from the community to work in the preschool and the community itself invested their time and energy as an in-kind contribution to help build the preschool.
The idea to build a community preschool emerged from the demands of the villagers themselves, and more precisely the demand of the women/ mothers, who need to work in the fields, and in the same time take care of their children.
The preschool is estimated to accommodate around 20 children per school year. The first school year started in September 2021 with 22 children, shortly after the construction was completed. The preschool will be equipped with solar panels, in order to allow children to benefit from educational activities requiring audiovisual material.
Safety and Learning Improve With New Facilities
In addition to the nursery school, the 5 classrooms of the primary school were equipped with solar panels to have photovoltaic electricity. With the addition of electricity, around a hundred students per year can now work all day at the school and benefit from resources that require electricity, such as learning to use a computer.
Collaboration for a Sustainable Village
Teamwork between our Malagasy partner, a renewable energy corporation, local villagers, and Luena Foundation made all the difference in addressing complex development issues. In addition to Luena Foundation’s donation for the preschool, a large French corporation has donated several solar panels which will provide electricity for the village. Solar electricity will help to improve health, education, and economic opportunities for the families.
Meet our Partner Community-Based Organization
Economy and environment complement each other. The association Mazava Vent et Soleil de Madagascar is betting that better economic conditions contribute to preserving the environment. Conversely, a degraded environment impoverishes families. All of Mazava’s projects meet these two criteria, plus a third: a necessary partnership with the population, working together for a shared objective.
To learn more about our partner organization, click here.
