Education
Keep the school running
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The schools of Madagascar are not fully functional. Because of their very low salaries, the teachers tend to have a low attendance to classes. Private schools are either inexistent or not affordable to the vast majority of the population.
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The school campus in Antintorona is crucial for the development of the island. It was built by another NGO along the years. It includes a kindergarten, a primary school and the only secondary school of the island. It hosts about 400 kids and it is autonomously managed by a pedagogic team of 11 full-time and 3 part-time local teachers, very committed to provide the highest education standards to their pupils. There has been in the past few years a growing contribution from local businesses to the school finances; nonetheless, the school still needs external financial support.
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Sunshine in Nosy Komba has a key role in the local education program with several initiatives and projects. Our aim is to establish a school that creates opportunities to the whole population of Nosy Komba. Since 2013, through yearly fundraising events, such as a football tournament in Noordwijk (Netherlands), Sunshine in Nosy Komba is the main contributor to keep all the school teachers and other functionaries working and covers the expenses of the canteen, the dormitories and the costs of didactic materials. Since 2017, it was decided to keep the kindergarten opened also during the holiday periods, to keep the children in a stimulating environment and promote the learning of the French language.
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Here is how we contribute:
PAY THE SALARIES OF THE TEACHERS
NIGHT CLASSES FOR ADULTS
Rise and Shine Scholarship
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After completion of secondary school, students need to have perspectives for their future. This is essential to promote education as a valuable investment of effort for the children and their families. Since no high school or university exists on the island and families cannot afford accommodations and transport to other locations, along with the school fees, most of the kids will not continue their education.
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Starting from 2015, every year the best students of the secondary school are granted a scholarship to attend high school and eventually university if they keep having good results. The high-school is located in the neighbor island of Nosy Be. Thus, besides the school costs (enrolment, books, etc.) the scholarships cover transport, board, food and accommodation costs. The program is coordinated locally by the secondary school director, who reports regularly on the progress of the students. In addition, these students can become part of their village’s education and sustainable development programs. They are offered opportunities to participate in other projects (e.g. médiathèque, school maintenance, support to local companies, etc.) in order to get professional experience and to support the younger kids’ education.
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2019 has been an exceptional year as 13 out of 19 students in the last year of the secondary school succeeded in the exam of access to the high-school. In 2019, for the first time we had a number of students succeeding at the national exam superior to the number of scholarships announced in the beginning of the year. As we expected, this is proving that, if given the chance, these kids will thrive and succeed.
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Here is how we contribute:
2016 GRADUATES
2017 GRADUATES
2018 GRADUATES
Mediatheque
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Given the scarcity of didactic materials, most of the times classes in Madagascar consist of the students copying from the blackboard texts in French that most of them do not even master completely. In Nosy Komba outside of school hours, there used to be no place where children and teenagers could study, read or play. This significantly influenced their development and performance, as it was perceived that their level would drop significantly during vacation periods.
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In 2013, we opened a library that with time has been equipped to be a médiathèque. Since then we have worked continuously to increase the activities offered by it. Now there are spaces with new equipment to satisfy the different needs of children from different ages. The children have access to around 1000 books, dozens of didactic DVD’s and games, scientific experiments and ten small laptops. This equipment is used both during classes and during extra-school time.
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Moreover, a sports club has been created turning the médiathèque project more and more into a “school outside of the school” and sport equipment has been provided to practice different sports (such as volleyball, basketball, badminton and table tennis).
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This place is managed locally by the teachers of the secondary school with assistance from students that are receiving a “Rise & Shine” scholarship.
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Here is how we contribute:
THEMATIC WEEKENDS
GAMES FOR EVERY AGE
BOOKS FOR EVERY AGE
Improvement and maintenance of school campus
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The School Campus in Antintorona is crucial for the development of the whole island. Along the years, as a joint effort of the NGOs working in Antintotona, a kindergarden, a primary school, a secondary school, 2 dorms and a canteen have been built. The Campus has been growing and it hosts each year an increasing number of children and teenagers. Therefore, there is a need to expand it and at the same time to improve and maintain the existing facilities.
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Since its genesis in 2011, Sunshine in Nosy Komba has been taking a very active role in the improvement of the education infrastructure, carrying out several projects. The aim of these projects is to develop a school campus that guarantees its students a complete education, balanced and stimulating sport and cultural activity, proper meals and a clean sleeping environment.
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Here is how we contribute:
SPORT FIELDS AND MATERIALS
A NEW SCHOOL BUILDING
A NEW SCHOOL DORMITORY
