Nosy Be is often considered to be the Madagascar “Riviera”. Unfortunately, elsewhere on the island the situation is less rosy.  The more remote spots but also some parts of the larger urban areas suffer from extreme poverty.

At Scuba Nosy Be, we have decided to help develop educational schemes in Madagascar by promoting a partnership we have built up with a school run by the non-profit organisation “L’île aux Enfants”. http://ecoleileauxenfants.org/.

Some ten years ago, Eric, a young primary school teacher working at the French government-run school in Antananarivo (Tana), the capital, revived a project to build a school in the extremely deprived area of Anosibe. The project had been suspended because of lack of funding.

Anosibe is not a shanty-town built out of corrigated iron and other recycled materials, but rather what is known as a “bag-town”, where families construct shelters with tarpaulin and any other bits of plastic they can retrieve. During the rainy season, when flooding causes immense damage, these fragile constructions are often quite simply washed away.

Eric took a year’s leave to finish building the school. But despite the new premises and a campaign to inform the inhabitants that the school was operational, not one child was enrolled! In poor districts such as Anosibe, a child is expected to work or beg as soon as he/she learns to walk.

Eric, in agreement with the district leader, decided to serve a free breakfast for the children at 6.30 in the morning, and another meal at 1pm after classes ended. In order not to impose his own vision or hamper a project that would benefit the children, he accepted the fact that the children would continue to work in the afternoon, since this helped the families to survive.

With this new set-up, the school began to receive more pupils, and today it is at full capacity every day. Eric’s initiative, while it does not claim to have revolutionised the children’s existence, has helped to improve their health and development.

In order to support this project, we encourage you, when you come to Nosy Be, to bring with you what you can to ease the daily existence of these families: items such as clothes, medicine, toys, school supplies such as pens and exercise books. We will make sure they reach Eric at “L’ile aux Enfants”.

We are also looking for sponsors for the children. To become a sponsor, all you need to do is agree to provide 30€ a month.

By sponsoring a child, you are offering him/her the chance to cease suffering from hunger, to receive regular medical attention and to be protected from all forms of abuse. You will follow him/her through childhood and have the joy of sharing the important moments in his/her life through letters, photos and videos. You will even be able to visit him/her in Madagascar if you wish. It is an unforgettable experience and a unique way of seeing someone’s life improve – thanks to you!” (http://ecoleileauxenfants.org/don/ )