WHY MADAGASCAR?
More than a million children are out of school
AN EXTREMELY POOR RICH COUNTRY
Madagascar is an island almost as big as France, which attracts nearly 375,000 tourists every year. There are many reasons to come and discover this rich territory: paradisiacal beaches, high plateaus, lush vegetation, amazing endemic animals and a very welcoming people. Madagascar is not just this postcard country. It is also despite great natural wealth, one of the poorest countries in the world where 75% of the population lives below the poverty line.The economic and social situation largely affects aid to the public sector, limiting access to health services and education. In this context, the mortality rate of children under 5 remains high.
The Malagasy education system, and particularly the primary cycle, suffers from numerous shortcomings and dysfunctions: lack of equipment, teachers and teacher training. The pass rate in exams is very low and school drop-out very high.
The most disadvantaged families cannot afford school fees. Unable to return to school, many young Malagasy people are forced to beg or take on odd jobs to supplement their parents's wages.
LESS THAN 2 EUROS PER DAY
According to estimates reported by theWorld Bank,75% of the population still lives below the international poverty line of 2 dollars per day.One in two children is chronically malnourished.
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The Malagasy standard of living remains very low, with in particular a rate of access to electricity of only 13%. The gross national income per capita was USD 520 in 2019, which is 80 times less than in France where it was USD 42,450.
1 IN 3 CHILDREN LEAVES SCHOOL BEFORE THE AGE OF 11
Many families cannot afford to send their children to school. The Malagasy State does not have sufficient resources to ensure the training, payment of teachers and free schooling for children.
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25% of children aged 7 to 14 will never go to school.Only 1 child out of 3 completes their primary cycle and barely 3 children out of 10 manage to complete a full school cycle.
AMBOHIDRAPETO
The Règne school supported by JIAE is located in Ambohidrapeto (suburb of Antananarivo, the Malagasy capital). The town is populated by families from a recent and very important rural exodus. The population there has tripled in 10 years. This migratory pressure weighs heavily on public services and many children cannot go to public school. There are 10 saturated public schools and 40 private schools in this area.
More than one in two households is confronted with problems of unemployment, alcoholism or violence.Some children are orphans or have been abandoned and are raised by their grandparents, uncles, aunts or older sisters.
AMBOHIDRAPETO 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 is the origin of the name THE SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE GIANTS by J'IRAI A L'ECOLE.