Education and Nutrition in Madagascar
In the rural regions of Madagascar, many children grow up without access to schooling. Poverty, hunger and a lack of infrastructure define their daily lives and those of their families. Together with our partner VOZAMA, Misereor brings education precisely where it is most urgently needed: to the villages. In simple village schools, children learn to read, write and do arithmetic. At the same time, their families are taught about sustainable agriculture. This enables them to manage their fields more effectively, secure their food supply and generate their own income. In this way, new prospects for the future are created for entire village communities. The project also includes the protection of Madagascar’s unique natural environment. Through the ‘One Child. One Tree.’ initiative, families plant trees for their children, thereby creating a better future for both people and the environment. Women, in particular, play a key role in this. Many female teachers come from the villages themselves and become role models for the next generation. They provide education, boost girls’ self-confidence and contribute to their families’ income. Josephine Rasolonomenjanahary is one such example.
Your donation empowers women like Josephine: they learn sustainable farming, teach children and provide for their families with an income of their own. Thanks to your donation, poverty can give way to self-reliance and dependence to self-determination. In this way, entire villages thrive across generations – with knowledge, food and hope.
This is what your regular donation achieves
The VOZAMA initiative was founded in 1995 to break the vicious circle of illiteracy and poverty. As well as providing basic education, VOZAMA also supports a range of development activities for parents, offers advisory services on healthcare and environmental protection, and campaigns for children’s and women’s rights. Here’s what we achieved last year in partnership with VOZAMA:
- Over 5,000 children were able to attend school
- 100 per cent of parents involved in VOZAMA’s pilot projects were able to pay the school fees themselves
- 88 per cent of teachers passed additional certification exams
- 680,000 seedlings were planted
- 1,000 kilos of potatoes were harvested during the last growing season
Equal opportunities for all in Brazil
What is it like to grow up in one of Recife’s poorest neighbourhoods and, at just 13 years old, be left almost entirely to fend for yourself? And what does the day-to-day work look like for an organisation that supports children and young people in this situation all year round? Here, street children in Recife receive more than just a meal.
Various partner organisations are committed to supporting these children and young people. They want to make a contribution to their society – even though it so often marginalises them. They actively engage with problems and speak out about them. Full of hope, they seek their own path. A rooftop vegetable garden, computer courses, theatre – through a wide range of activities, the children and young people in Misereor’s projects for street children are able to develop their talents and build confidence in their own strengths. In addition, the team supports the families, helping parents with administrative matters and looking after their children, whilst also providing psychological counselling.
Daniela used to be one of these young people. Today, Daniela heads the organisation that once enabled her to lead a self-determined life. Donations ensure that children have a safe haven, loving care and the chance of a self-determined future in the long term.
This is what your regular donation achieves
In Brazil, we work with various partner organisations, all of which aim to reach out to children and young people from unstable family backgrounds and support them on their journey towards a better future. Here’s what we achieved together last year:
- 100 families across 3 neighbourhoods are receiving personalised support.
- 39 of these families are involved in community projects, including through participation in political campaigns.
- 78 per cent of the children and young people receiving support are able to talk about their feelings and have experienced an improvement in their relationship with their families.
- 54 women have received targeted training to set up micro-enterprises in arts and crafts or confectionery.
- 22 young people are promoting a culture of peace as mediators in schools and local communities.
Clean energy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health centres often lack a reliable electricity supply. This means that life-saving procedures and births take place in the dark and frequently under precarious conditions. Malnutrition and epidemics such as malaria and cholera exacerbate the situation. Without a constant supply of electricity, medical care is severely restricted, leading to high mortality rates. Reliable sources of electricity are vital here. In rural regions such as the dioceses of Boma and Kikwit, the work of our partner BDOM is making a tangible difference to basic healthcare provision. With BDOM’s help, health centres in the Congo have a reliable electricity supply and people have access to clean drinking water. People who cannot afford it are treated free of charge at the health centres. In addition, staff are trained as technicians, which helps with maintenance and has a lasting impact.
Your donation ensures that health centres are permanently supplied with solar power: safe births even at night, refrigerated medicines and rapid assistance in emergencies. Nurse Patience Katunda installs and repairs solar systems on site and knows that every functioning system means lives saved. A donation provides electricity that lasts.
This is what your regular donation achieves
In order to provide medical care to poor people in the various regions of this vast country, BDOM has set up a network of health centres. These are run by nurses who are able to treat the most common illnesses on the spot and assist with childbirth. Here’s what we achieved last year together with BDOM:
- 14 out of 33 facilities now have access to clean drinking water, and the number is growing
- 9 health centres in the Diocese of Boma have been fitted with solar power systems.
- 28 health centres have a permanent electricity supply.
- 425 treatments were provided free of charge to particularly poor patients.