Anjiro Initiative

New Partnership for Education in Madagascar

The Anjiro Initiative is excited to announce our collaboration with the Peace Corps’ Virtual Service Pilot Program (VSPP). Through this partnership, we are working with volunteer Kim Armstrong to strengthen our communications and broaden awareness of our mission to empower Malagasy youth through equitable education.

Kim Armstrong shares:

“I'm so thankful for the opportunity to work alongside the Anjiro Initiative team. Getting to collaborate with people who care so deeply about education and opportunity for Madagascar students has been so inspiring, and I'm grateful for the chance to support their mission and help share their success stories.”

This marks our first engagement with Peace Corps, and we look forward to the impact this collaboration will have in amplifying our mission and supporting education opportunities for students in Madagascar.

This year, 64% of the young people supported by the Anjiro Initiative from the Anjiro Community successfully passed the BEPC Official Exam.

The community is made up of three institutions: CEG Anjiro, Lycée Sainte Chantale, and Collège Privé FJKM Lovasoa.

This achievement is a testament to the resilience and determination of Malagasy youth. Let’s continue to stand by them, they are the future of Madagascar, and they deserve every chance to pursue their education.

The primary school network in the Anjiro Community is made up of five institutions, three of them, such as: EPP Anjiro, Lycée Sainte Chantale, and Collège Privé FJKM Lovasoa had children who sat for the CEPE Official Exam.

This year, the Anjiro Initiative supported 29 children who sat for this official exam from these schools and 27 of them successfully passed.

Let’s continue supporting Malagasy children. They are the future of Madagascar, and they deserve every opportunity to pursue their education.

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Miisa telo ireo sekoly ambaratonga fototra ao Anjiro izay misy ireo zaza nanala CEPE tohanan’ny Anjiro Initiative, isan’izany ny : EPP Anjiro, Lycée Sainte Chantale, ary Collège Privé FJKM Lovasoa.

Tamin’ity taona ity, ny Anjiro Initiative dia nanohana ankizy 29 nanala CEPE avy amin’ireo sekoly ireo, ary 27 tamin’izy ireo no afaka soa aman-tsara tamin’izany.

Ho tohizantsika hatrany ny fanohanana ny ankizy Malagasy. Izy ireo no hoavin’i Madagasikara, ary mendrika hahazo fahafahana rehetra hanohy ny fianarany.

The Baccalaureate exam is the final official examination Malagasy youth take before entering university. It represents a major milestone in their educational journey. For many, this diploma is not only a gateway to higher education but also a crucial qualification for employment, especially for those facing financial challenges.

Sadly, only 5–7% of Malagasy youth reach this level. That’s why the Anjiro Initiative is dedicated to supporting parents in rural communities by providing scholarships that help children stay in school and pursue their dreams.

Let’s wish all candidates success and fulfillment as they take this important step forward.

This week, many Malagasy students are reaching an important milestone in their educational journey. They are taking the BEPC Official Exam, the final exam of lower secondary school before entering high school.

Anjiro Initiative is proud to support several students sitting for this exam this year.

Let’s wish them every success!

Happy Independence Day to all Malagasy people!
And thank you to everyone who contributed to our campaign.

$1,104 has been raised to help Malagasy children access education through scholarships.
Your support is already changing lives, and we are deeply grateful.

When people think about scholarships, they imagine notebooks, uniforms, or exam fees.
But the most powerful impact of a scholarship in Madagascar is something far less visible:

👉 Stability for the family.

Because when a family is struggling to survive, even the smallest school expense becomes a heavy burden.
And that pressure often pushes children out of school.

For many rural families, school costs compete with:

- food
- medicine
- farming needs
- daily survival

In many rural communities, when a family cannot afford school, girls are the first to be removed.
And once they leave school, early marriage becomes the expected path.

When money is tight, children are often asked to:

* help in the fields
* sell small goods
* take care of siblings
* fetch water or firewood

A scholarship removes that pressure.
Parents can breathe again.
They no longer have to choose between feeding the family and educating their child.

When a child receives support:

- parents engage more
- teachers feel supported
- attendance improves
- communication strengthens

Education becomes a shared responsibility, not a burden.

A child who knows their school needs are covered:

- attends more regularly
- feels confident
- participates more
- dreams bigger

Stability at home becomes stability in the classroom.

A scholarship is not just financial aid.
It is protection, relief, and hope for an entire family.

🎒 $26 = stability + dignity + opportunity
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days

Donate here to contribute to this impact: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/26-days-to-independence-support-madagascars-next-generation

Every year in Madagascar, thousands of children leave school too early.
Not because they want to.
But because life gives them no choice.

The dropout crisis is one of the silent emergencies shaping the future of Malagasy youth, especially in rural areas.

In many villages, the barriers to education are not academic, they are economic, geographic, and social.

- Poverty: families cannot afford notebooks, uniforms, or exam fees

- Distance: some children walk 5–10 km each way to school

- Hunger: learning on an empty stomach becomes impossible

- Household responsibilities: children help with farming, water collection, or siblings

- Early marriage: especially for girls in rural communities

- Lack of teachers: frequent teacher shortages reduce learning quality

- School conditions: overcrowded classrooms, broken roofs, no materials

For many families, school becomes a luxury, not a right.

The statistics tell a painful story:

Madagascar has one of the highest dropout rates in East Africa

In some rural districts, 1 in 3 children leaves school before completing primary

Girls are more likely to drop out due to early marriage and domestic work

Children who drop out rarely return the window closes fast

A dropout is not just a number. It is a future interrupted.

When a child leaves school, the consequences follow them for life:

- Lower income

- Fewer job opportunities

- Higher risk of early marriage

- Limited ability to break the cycle of poverty

- Reduced participation in civic life

Education is not just learning, it is protection.

Ask any rural teacher, and they will tell you:

They see children disappear one by one.

A student who once sat in the front row suddenly stops coming.
A girl who dreamed of becoming a nurse is married at 14.
A boy who loved math now works in the fields.

Teachers carry these stories with them.

The most powerful part of this story is this:

Most dropouts happen because of small, solvable barriers.

- A notebook.
- A uniform.
- A scholarship.
- A supportive teacher.
- A family that feels seen and helped.

Sometimes, $26 is the difference between staying in school and dropping out forever.

Every scholarship:

- keeps a child in school

- reduces pressure on families

- supports rural teachers

- protects girls from early marriage

- gives children a chance to dream again

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your support keeps children in the classroom, where they belong.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Stand with the children who refuse to give up.

You can donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/26-days-to-independence-support-madagascars-next-generation

In March 2020, Madagascar closed all schools nationwide.
For months, classrooms were silent.

In cities, some students continued learning through:

- radio lessons

- TV broadcasts

- WhatsApp groups

- online platforms

But in rural Madagascar, where most families lack electricity, internet, or devices, none of this was possible.

For millions of children, “remote learning” simply meant no learning at all.

COVID‑19 turned the digital divide into a crisis:

- Most rural households had no internet

- Many had no electricity

- Smartphones were too expensive

- Teachers had no digital training

- Students had no access to online materials

While the world moved online, rural Malagasy children were locked out.

Researchers estimate:

- 3+ million Malagasy students were affected by school closures

- Rural students lost 6–9 months of learning

- Dropout rates increased, especially among girls

- Many children never returned to school after reopening

- Teachers struggled to catch up with overcrowded classrooms

COVID‑19 didn’t just pause education, it reversed years of progress.

In remote communities:

- Children returned to fields and household work

- Families prioritized survival over schooling

- FRAM teachers went unpaid for months

- Schools lacked sanitation materials to reopen safely

For many families, the pandemic was not just a health crisis, it was an economic and educational emergency.

Despite the challenges, teachers showed extraordinary resilience:

- Some walked village to village delivering printed lessons

- Others taught small groups outdoors

- Parents formed informal study circles

- Communities shared radios so children could listen to lessons

Even in crisis, Malagasy teachers and parents refused to give up on education.

Because the effects of COVID‑19 are still visible today.

Children who fell behind in 2020–2021 are still struggling.
Rural schools still lack digital tools.
Teachers still face overcrowded classrooms.
And the digital divide remains a barrier to equal opportunity.

Your support helps children recover from years of lost learning.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your donation helps rebuild futures disrupted by the pandemic.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help children rise after COVID‑19.

You can donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/26-days-to-independence-support-madagascars-next-generation

In today’s world, education is digital.
But in Madagascar, access to technology is still a luxury, especially for rural children.

While the world moves online, millions of Malagasy students remain offline, left behind by a divide they did not choose.

Despite progress, Madagascar’s digital access remains extremely unequal.

Only 20.4% of the population used the internet in early 2025

Rural internet access in 2026 was just 22%, meaning nearly 4 out of 5 rural families are offline

Only 4% of households had internet at home in 2018, with rural households even lower

67% of the population had 3G coverage in 2022, but only 27% had 4G, mostly in cities

This means millions of children cannot access:

- online lessons

- digital textbooks

- educational videos

- research tools

- remote learning during crises

The digital world is growing, but not for everyone.

👉🏻 Electricity: The First Barrier
Even before internet access, many rural families lack reliable electricity.

Without electricity, a child cannot:

- charge a phone

- use a tablet

- study at night

- join online classes

- access digital materials

The digital divide begins long before the internet.

For Malagasy students, the consequences are severe:

- Urban students access online resources; rural students rely on old textbooks

- Teachers in cities use digital tools; rural teachers work with chalk and memory

- Students preparing for exams cannot access past papers or tutorials

- During cyclones or crises, rural children lose months of learning with no digital backup

The divide becomes a cycle of inequality.

Rural communities face the harshest barriers:

- High cost of smartphones and data

- Weak network coverage

- No home internet

- Limited digital literacy

- Schools without computers

Even as internet pe*******on rises nationally, rural children remain disconnected from opportunity.

Madagascar’s internet pe*******on rose to 37% in 2026, driven by mobile networks .
But this growth is not shared equally:

- Urban areas connect

- Rural areas fall further behind

Researchers warn that without targeted policies, the digital divide will worsen existing inequalities in education and development .

Because digital access is no longer optional, it is essential.

A child without internet is a child without equal opportunity.
Your support helps bridge this gap by providing:

- scholarships

- school materials

- digital tools

- support for rural teachers

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your donation helps rural children access the world they’ve been excluded from.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help bridge the digital divide, one child at a time.

Your $26 helps a child get back to school faster.
You can donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/26-days-to-independence-support-madagascars-next-generation