Menu Close

Education is the first foothold to achieving one's dreams.

The students of St. Gabriel school in Sabotsy, Madagascar, are currently unable to fully pursue their educational dreams due to endemic hunger, poverty, and lack of access to a safe and clean water source. 

A small donation can change the world of 200 students and their families by providing them with access to clean water at their school and a self-sustaining school farm.

Project Status: Seeking Funding

The Challenge:

Staying in school is a challenge for the students of St. Gabriel School without food to sustain them or a safe source of clean water.

Sabotsy is a rural farming community in the District of Arivonimamo where families work together daily in the jungles and fields to grow, hunt, gather, and trap the food on which they subsist while also growing rice as a cash crop. The children here attend St. Gabriel school, but due to the lack of a school feeding program, as well as endemic hunger, poverty and a lack of clean available water, it is difficult for students to attend regularly and stay in school long enough to obtain the vital educational base that will enable them to break the cycle of poverty.

Problem #1: Water Access

The primary source of water for the school is a long trek from the school grounds, which makes it hard for students to drink water throughout the day and prevents the establishment of a school farm. 

Problem #2: Hunger leads to dropping out of school

Instead of trying to focus on schoolwork while battling an empty stomach, many students forgo school altogether, choosing to work the farms with their parents instead. This is creating further educationally stunted generations who are surviving but not thriving.

Our Plan:

Our plan is to create a self-sustaining school farm comprised of a piggery, a poultry yard, a vegetable garden, and a borehole. The farm would be built and maintained as a collaborative effort among the headmaster, the school parents’ association, and the students. Though our American on-the-ground team member had to leave the country due to COVID-19, she is still involved remotely with the village, the school, and our project, so her unique knowledge of and deep care for the people there is helping us design and carry out an effective project. Having a working farm on the school grounds will not only allow the students to eat a substantial daily lunch for free and maintain their school attendance, but it will also provide expanded educational opportunities that will allow them to gain skills and hands-on experience in working and running a farm, from learning best animal husbandry practices and animal medical care from the veterinarian to grafting plants and calculating crop yield.

Mr. Jean Michel Randriamino, the headmaster of St. Gabriel School, who has wholeheartedly dedicated his life to improving the lives and prospects of his students

Students at St. Gabriel school with Emma Hale, our Peace Corps Volunteer on-the-ground team member who had to leave Sabotsy due to COVID-19

Our Plan:

  • Construct a Borehole

    Our first goal is to construct a deep borehole on the school grounds of St. Gabriel School. This will provide the students with drinking water and will be a source of water for the future farm animals and crops of the school farm.

  • Establish a Piggery

    Meat from pigs would be a terrific source of protein for growing minds and bodies. Income could also be earned by selling and breeding the pigs, which would be put back into the school farm and the school itself.

  • Establish a Poultry Yard

    Poultry would offer another steady and nutritious bounty of protein for the students in the form of both eggs and meat.

  • Establish a Vegetable Garden

    Vegetables and other food crops including okra, tomatoes, corn, yams, onions, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers will be grown in abundance to fill the bellies and fuel the growing minds of our students.

How you can help:

  • Donate

    A little bit to us goes a long way to changing the lives of others, especially in the developing world. 100% of every donation goes directly to the project of your choice and every donation regardless of size is deeply appreciated!

  • Start a Fundraiser

    Would you like to help change the world of these villagers, but you're not in a place to donate, or you'd like to make a larger impact by leveraging your network? Starting your own fundraiser can make a huge difference! Let us know and we can provide you with a personalized fundraising package and guidance that makes the process simple so you can begin today.

  • Spread the Word

    Getting the word out about our cause helps a lot! Tell your friends and family and share this page on social media.

Project Status: Seeking Funding

Borehole: $1,400
0%
Construction Materials for Pigsty and Poultry Yard: $2,800
0%
Farm materials, tools, and supplies: $1,600
Web Designer 0%
Animals: $1,100
Web Designer 0%
Vegetable farm supplies and materials: $800
Web Designer 0%
Total: $7,700
Web Designer 0%

Project Location

St. Gabriel School in Sabotsy

A rural farming community in the District of Arivonimamo, Madagascar

Together, we can change the world. Today, let's change the world of:

0
Students and their families in Madagascar