✨ Sunshine in Nosy Komba Newsletter #6 ✨

Dear Kombas supporters,

We’re excited to share with you a new edition of our Sunshine in Nosy Komba newsletter! 🌞

In this newsletter we want to share with you:

• News from the field

  • High school students association

  • New graduates thanks to our Rise and Shine scholarship program

  • From scholarship student to local entrepreneur - Meet Davidson

  • A visit from our Technical High School scholarship students

  • Celebrating Engineer Lido - and the Strength of the Community

• Fundraising

  • Save the date Sunshine Festival 19-20 June 2026!

  • Running 10km to support education for the kids in Nosy Komba

🌴🎉🌞 Save the Date – Sunshine in Nosy Komba Festival 2026! 🎉🌴🌞

We’re excited to announce that the Sunshine in Nosy Komba Festival is back!

📅 When: June 19–20, 2026 

📍Where: ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands

After an incredible edition last year — filled with music, sports, food, community activities, and unforgettable moments — we’re getting ready to do it all again… and even better! 🌞✨

From live performances and tournaments to wellness activities and kids’ games, this festival brings together the whole community and visitors from around the world to celebrate, connect, and support Sunshine in Nosy Komba Foundation.

💛 More details coming soon — but for now, mark your calendars and get ready to join us!

🎓✨ SNK High School Students Launch Their Own Association! 💛🤝

Exciting news from Nosy Komba! Our SNK scholarship high school students recently gathered in the village to form their very own student association—a powerful step toward leadership, collaboration, and growth. 🌱

They held elections and proudly chose 🗳️President, 🛠️ Vice President and representative of the lycée technique students.

With guidance from École Banana teachers, they’ve committed to:

- Meeting regularly 

- Discussing challenges openly 

- Finding solutions together 

📜 They’ve already established their internal rules by themselves and are planning peer-led trainings on a variety of topics before the school year ends such us:

- 🧁 Pastry-making 

- ✂️ Tailoring (cut-and-sew) 

- 💻 Informatique and digital skills

This initiative is a beautiful example of student-led empowerment. We’re incredibly proud of how SNK students are growing—not just academically, but as changemakers in their community. 💪🌍

🎓 New graduates thanks to our Rise and Shine scholarship program.🎓

- Rolisca has completed her paramedical training and received her midwife diploma. 

- Claudette Zarasoa also graduated as a midwife.  

- Elysée earned his general nursing diploma from the same program.

These are important steps for each of them, and we’re really proud of their hard work and dedication. It’s encouraging to see how far they’ve come and how they’re preparing to support their communities through healthcare. We would like to thank the godparents that supported these kids along their journey and we look forward to seeing what they will do next!

Well done to all three! 💛

🌱🚀 From Scholarship Student to Local Entrepreneur – Meet Davidson! 🚀🌱

A few years ago, Davidson was one of the students supported through our Rise & Shine Scholarship Programme, which helps talented students from Nosy Komba, that attended our Ecole Banana, continue their studies through lycée and university. 🎓

After completing his studies in economics far from the village, Davidson chose not to leave the island in search of opportunities elsewhere. Instead, he decided to bring his skills back home and start building something for his community. He started a local tour company to support users in discovering his culture and his home island.

This is exactly the vision behind the Entrepreneurship Programme we recently launched: helping graduates transform their education into real local projects and opportunities.

💡 Davidson is one of the students showing that this cycle can work:

➡️ Study and gain skills through education

➡️ Grow through scholarships and training

➡️ Return to the village with ideas and ambition

➡️ Create new opportunities locally

For Sunshine in Nosy Komba, this is more than a success story — it’s a glimpse of the future we’re trying to build.

When students like Davidson return to create businesses, share knowledge, and invest in their community, they inspire the next generation and help strengthen the local economy of Nosy Komba.

🧡 Because sustainable development happens when education leads to opportunity — and opportunity comes back to the community.

We’re incredibly proud of Davidson and excited to see where his journey takes him.

Click here to check his story!

💛 A Visit from Our Technical High School Scholarship Students

This week, our technical high school scholarship students visited the 9th grade (troisième) class at École Banana. These students will take the Brevet d’Étude du Premier Cycle (BEPC) this year — the official national exam in Madagascar that marks the end of lower secondary school (collège) and gives access to high school (lycée).

During the visit, the older students explained the different technical high school tracks, shared their own experiences, and answered questions.

The session went very smoothly — the younger students were curious, motivated, and happy to learn more about their options for next year.

What stands out most is the strong sense of community. Seeing former École Banana students return to guide and support the next generation is truly encouraging. At Sunshine in Nosy Komba, we’re very proud to witness this spirit of solidarity growing year after year. A great thanks to the teachers of the Ècole Banana and students.

💛 Running 10km to Support Education for the kids in Nosy Komba

This week we want to highlight a wonderful initiative from Daniel, a student from Europe who chose to support Sunshine in Nosy Komba Foundation in a very special way. Daniel decided to run a 10km race in Den Haag and use it as an opportunity to raise funds for SNK. He trained steadily from December, motivated both by a school requirement and by a personal wish to help children in Madagascar access the same educational opportunities he has.

In his own words:  “I wanted to give kids living in Madagascar a chance to have the same opportunities that I have in education.”

Last Sunday, after months of preparation, he completed the 10km in under 45 minutes, while proudly carrying the SNK name on his back during the race. He raised enough money to support 1 year of scholarship for 2 kids in Nosy Komba.

We are deeply grateful for his effort, his commitment, and the heart behind this initiative. Seeing young people take action for others that cannot have the same opportunity is incredibly inspiring.

Thanks Daniel from Sunshine in Nosy Komba Foundation and the kids in Nosy Komba!

💛 Celebrating Engineer Lido — and the Strength of the Community

We are delighted to share some wonderful news from our Rise&Shine Scholarship community.

Lido, who began his journey at Ècole Banana and continued through high school and university with the Rise&Shine Scholarship Program, has just successfully defended his Master’s thesis in engineering, earning an exceptional final average of 18. An average of 18/20 at Master’s level in Madagascar is exceptional — scores above 16 are already considered excellent, so this result reflects truly outstanding work. This is a remarkable milestone and a major step forward for his future.

What made this moment even more special was the presence of several SNK university scholarship students who attended his defense to support and encourage him. Their message to us was full of warmth and gratitude, highlighting the strong sense of solidarity, unity, and camaraderie that has grown among them over the years — values they say they learned through the support and guidance of the association.

They also shared their heartfelt thanks, reminding us that achievements like this are possible thanks to the trust, assistance, and opportunities offered through the scholarship program. Their words touched us deeply and we would like to thank all the godparents that support these students.

And for some of us at SNK, this moment carries a special meaning as we remember Lido very young, when he received the Rise&Shine Scholarship for high school and suddenly he realized that continuing his studies was truly within reach. Seeing him today as our first SNK student to complete a Master’s degree is incredibly moving.

From now on, we can proudly call him Engineer Lido — a beautiful example for all the younger students following in his footsteps.

🌞Stay Connected with Sunshine in Nosy Komba! 🌞   

Sunshine in Nosy Komba is dedicated to improving education, healthcare, and sustainable development on Nosy Komba island. Every euro raised is directly invested in these vital projects, ensuring transparency and impact.  

Help us create awareness and increase visibility by following us on social media! Share our posts, spread the word, and invite your friends to be part of this meaningful journey.  

 Follow us on:  

- Facebook:·         facebook.com/SunshineinNosyKomba

- Instagram:·         instagram.com/sunshinenosykomba

- Linkedin:·         linkedin.com/company/sunshine-in-nosy-komba-foundation

 Support Us:  

Donations https://donorbox.org/sunshine-in-nosy-komba-general 

Donations (for Dutch banks only): https://tikkie.me/pay/SunNosyKomb/am9cnbaJmY3aMEsGwNaw6k

Become a Volunteer: https://www.sunshineinnosykomba.org/become-a-volunteer 

Together, we can make a difference. Join us, help us, become a volunteer and be part of it!