On a territory as vast as Madagascar, and with a population scattered across the island, the problem of lack or inadequacy of school infrastructure is an ongoing issue; private classes, tables, benches, toilets… If they exist they are damaged, decayed or at worst, destroyed by hurricanes. Combined with the lack of the most basic teaching materials such as blackboards and chalk and a lack of access to information materials (books, journals, articles, … ), the quality of education remains the final privilege of a minority. These logistical problems engender demotivation amongst teachers as well as students and parents, and cause significant wastage. Education in protected and biodiversity conservation areas are obviously not immune to these problems. Hospitals in rural areas and Basic Health Centres suffer from similar situations to the schools, with insufficient rooms and facilities.
Often in conjunction with local authorities, residents request the construction or rehabilitation of a school or a health centre. However, without help from the state they are on their own to build the infrastructure. For example, for school infrastructure, the parents are the ones who finance the purchase of materials, provide the land, and the labour. With their loads already very heavy for the payment of teachers’ salaries, added to their children’s school fees, parents do not have the means to achieve sustainable constructions. They often opt for wooden huts with Ravinala palm leaves as a roof that have a very limited shelf life due to very humid forest areas.
Since its inception, Ny Tanintsika contributes to solve these problems with the help of various partners. Through personal donations, youth camps and support of foundations, more than 60 schools and 10 health centres have benefited from aid for infrastructure. Hence, about 130 new classrooms have been built and more than 20 rehabilitated.
In health centres, we work to provide care facilities, electricity, and the construction of housing for accompanying bystanders. We operate solely on written requests, expressed and verified from local communities. Ny Tanintsika works with the village communities. Concerned about the integration of hygiene and sanitation into all our projects, we build latrines, boreholes and rainwater catchment, to reduce the prevalence of diarrheal diseases, improve the health of both students and patients and increase schooling, especially for girls,
Members of the local community are always at the heart of the construction of buildings supported by the Ny Tanintsika team. They take care of the materials used for construction… The active and effective participation of communities in all stages of the project, from the preparation to the maintenance of infrastructure, strengthen their accountability for the maintenance and security of the infrastructure, and create a sense of shared pride favourable to the sustainability of buildings.
