BUILD THE SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS
A real school for disadvantaged children of the suburbs of Antananarivo
The premises of the school we support constitute a real obstacle to our actions.The school is in fact only a modest dwelling house. The rooms transformed into classrooms are insufficient in size and number. They do not offer the working conditions that any school worthy of the name should guarantee.
The absence of a sanitary block and the chronic lack of running water limit the implementation of an effective hygiene programme.
The absence of a kitchen and sink makes the preparation of midday meals very difficult. There is no refectory, children eat sitting on the ground in the courtyard, in the corridors and sometimes in the classrooms.
WHY BUILD A SCHOOL
?
There is no space to install the library and the toy library. Educational books and games are stored in the director's tiny office.
The closures cannot guarantee the security conditions that would allow the school to own a television, computers or any other valuable equipment.
The construction of a real school with a social vocation guaranteeing reduced tuition fees and suitable teaching and learning conditions is an absolute necessity. It is for the children of these poor neighborhoods who will be registered there, the only chance to escape poverty by accessing education.
UN CHANTIER IMPOSANT ET UNE EQUIPE REMARQUABLE
AMBOHIDRAPETO, name of the town on which the SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS will be built, means “Hill of Rapeto”. According to legend, the giant Rapeto would have set foot on this hill, thus marking the territory with his mark. This legend originated from name of the future school.
Building a real school
11 classroom
(2 kindergarten - 5 elementary - 4 secondary)
1 library
1 director's office
1 canteen-refectory
1 kitchen
2 toilet blocks
1 caretaker's accommodation
4 rooms
1 sports field
That is a total built of 750m² on a plot of 2028m².
The design of the School of the Little Giants was carried out by the agency SEMON-RAPAPORT who is a partner in this project.
THE SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS
AN IMPOSING PROJECT
FOR A GREAT SUCCESS
The first phase of the work was completed in August 2022.
Two kindergarten classes, 5 primary classes, a library,
a sleeping room, a refectory, a kitchen, a teachers' room,
2 offices and a sanitary block were built.
THE SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS opened its doors in September 2022.
Today, 175 children from disadvantaged families attend the school.
A director, a project manager, 7 qualified teachers, 3 extra-curricular activity leaders, a caretaker and 2 cooks are employed there.
This team works in close collaboration with the members of J'IRAI A L'ECOLE to offer these children a quality education and decent living conditions at school.
Soon 240 children will be attending this school.
The second phase of the work, scheduled for 2023, will concern all the external arrangements: earthworks, rainwater management, creation of shaded areas, vegetation and the creation of a multi-sports ground.
THE SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS
For a better
tomorrow
THE GENERAL ORGANIZATION
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
The School of the Little Giants was built with bricks, a traditional local construction method. Brick is a material made from the clay alluvium deposited at the foot of the hills each year after the rainy season. This clay is moulded, dried and fired on site to make the bricks, a few dozen metres from the future site. The foundations were made of stone rubble, a local material that is insensitive to humidity, and the floors were made of concrete beams that were formatted on site, with clay slabs. The frameworks were made by local craftsmen in steel angles, a material that is insensitive to insects and fungi unlike wood. The sandwich panel roof was supplied and delivered free of charge by the KINGSPAN company.