Anjiro Initiative

The 1990s marked one of the darkest chapters for education in Madagascar.
Economic instability, political unrest, and structural adjustment programs imposed by international lenders forced the government to cut public spending drastically, and schools were among the first victims.

The impact was immediate, measurable, and devastating:

Public education spending dropped by nearly 50% between 1991 and 1996, leaving schools without basic resources.

Teacher salaries stagnated or went unpaid, pushing thousands to leave the profession.

Class sizes exploded, with some rural classrooms reaching 70–100 students per teacher.

Dropout rates surged, especially in rural areas where families could no longer afford fees, uniforms, or supplies.

By the late 1990s, only about 30% of rural children completed primary school, compared to nearly double in urban centers.

Many villages saw their only school close or operate with just one teacher for hundreds of children.

For rural Madagascar, the crisis was not just economic, it was generational.

Entire communities lost access to education.
Children walked kilometers to reach schools with no desks, no books, no teachers.
Some never returned after the first year.

And here is the truth we must face:
The consequences of the 1990s are still visible today.
Many rural schools never recovered.
Some regions still lack trained teachers.
Others still rely on temporary classrooms made of wood and tin.

But this is also where hope begins.

Because every generation in Madagascar has fought to improve education,
from secret schools under Ranavalona I,
to the reopening under Ranavalona II,
to the reforms of 1972,
to the promise of 1960.

Now it’s our turn.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Rural children still feel the consequences today, your $26 changes that.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help rebuild what the crisis broke, one child at a time.

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

After independence, Madagascar faced a new challenge: building an education system that truly reflected its people.
In 1972, during the Malagasy Socialism era, the country launched one of its most ambitious reforms, a reform that aimed to “Malagasize” education and make learning accessible to all Malagasy children.

This reform reshaped the system in transformative ways:

Teaching in the Malagasy language became central, restoring cultural pride and making learning easier for rural students.

Curricula were redesigned to reflect Malagasy history, identity, and local realities, not colonial priorities.

Teacher training expanded, creating a new generation of Malagasy educators.

Schools were opened in underserved regions, bringing education closer to communities long left behind.

Access became a national goal, not a privilege.

For many families, this reform was the first time education felt truly theirs : rooted in their language, their culture, their future.

Because in Madagascar, every generation has tried to improve education.
From secret schools under Ranavalona I, to the reopening under Ranavalona II, to the reforms of 1972, the story has always been the same:
𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻.

Today, the mission continues.
Thousands of children still face barriers : poverty, distance, lack of materials ; but the responsibility now belongs to us.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Our generation must carry the mission forward.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
It’s our turn to improve education, one child at a time.

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

With 12 days remaining, we want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has stepped forward to support children in Madagascar.

Your generosity is moving this campaign forward in a powerful way.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, there’s still time to join us: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

When Madagascar gained independence on June 26, 1960, the new Republic made one promise clear: the nation would rise through education.
After decades of a colonial system that limited access for Malagasy children, the leaders of the young Republic placed schools at the heart of national development.

They believed and stated openly that a free Madagascar needed educated citizens.

So the new government began rebuilding the system:

- expanding public schools across regions that had been neglected,

- training Malagasy teachers to replace the colonial hierarchy,

- promoting the Malagasy language in classrooms to restore cultural pride,

- opening pathways to secondary and higher education,

- and making education a national priority, not a privilege.

For the first time in generations, Malagasy children could learn in a system designed for them, not for someone else’s agenda.
It was a turning point, a declaration that the future of the nation would be written in its classrooms.

Because in Madagascar, education was one of the first promises of independence.
And today, that promise still calls us.

Many children continue to face barriers : poverty, distance, lack of materials; but the mission remains the same:
to build a stronger Madagascar through learning.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your support continues the promise made in 1960.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help fulfill the vision of independence, one child at a time.

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 (𝟭𝟴𝟵𝟲–𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬)

When Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, schools were built, but not for everyone.
The colonial administration created a two‑tiered system:

elite schools for a small Malagasy minority,

basic, limited schooling for the rest,

and entire regions left with almost no access at all.

Education became a tool of control, not empowerment.
Most Malagasy children were taught only enough to follow orders, not enough to shape their future.
Only a few were allowed to continue to higher levels, and even then, opportunities were tightly restricted.

Yet Malagasy families persisted.
They pushed for literacy, built community schools, and protected their language and identity through learning.
Even under colonial rule, the desire to learn never disappeared.

And that is why June 26, 1960 meant more than political independence.
It meant reclaiming the right to dream, to study, to rise.
It meant taking back the power to educate the next generation on Malagasy terms.

Independence meant reclaiming the right to learn.

Today, the barriers look different: poverty, distance, lack of materials, but the struggle continues.
And just like before, the future depends on education.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your support helps finish a fight that began long before independence.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help ensure every Malagasy child has the right to learn truly and fully.

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝟭𝟴𝟲𝟵)

For 26 years, Malagasy children learned in whispers.
Under Queen Ranavalona I, schools were banned, books were destroyed, and education survived only in secret, protected by families who believed knowledge was worth the risk.

But history turned a new page.

In 1869, Queen Ranavalona II reopened the schools and reopened Madagascar’s future.
She didn’t just allow learning again.
She rebuilt an entire educational system:

- She invited teachers back and encouraged the return of missionary educators who had once been expelled.

- She reopened hundreds of schools, especially in the Highlands, making education accessible to ordinary Malagasy families.

- She promoted literacy in the Malagasy language, valuing local identity and ensuring children could learn in their mother tongue.

- She supported the spread of printed materials, helping books, primers, and religious texts circulate again.

- She made schooling a symbol of national progress, linking education with moral renewal, unity, and the future of the kingdom.

For the first time in decades, children could learn openly.
Teachers could teach without fear.
Communities could dream again.

Because in Madagascar, education has always been a path to national renewal, a way for the country to rise after hardship, rebuild its identity, and prepare the next generation.

As we move toward June 26, this history reminds us that every era of progress in Madagascar has begun with one simple act:
opening the doors of education.

Today, many children still face barriers that keep them out of school : poverty, distance, lack of materials.
But just like in 1869, renewal begins with access to learning.

🎒 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯 Goal: $2600 in 26 days
💛 Your support helps reopen doors again.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help continue Madagascar’s long journey of renewal through education.

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

Between 1835 and 1861, education in Madagascar was pushed into the shadows.
Under Queen Ranavalona I, missionary schools were banned, books were destroyed, and learning became an act of defiance. Families who wanted their children to read and write had to teach in secret at night, in hidden corners, whispering lessons that could cost them everything.

And yet…
Malagasy children kept learning.
Parents kept teaching.
Communities kept protecting knowledge.

Because even when education was forbidden, Malagasy people understood one truth: learning is freedom.

As we move toward June 26, we remember this chapter of our history, not to judge the past, but to honor the courage of those who refused to let education die.

Today, the barriers look different: poverty, distance, lack of materials.
But the fight is the same.

🤝 $26 = 1 scholarship
🎯Goal: $2600 in 26 days
🙌🏻Your support continues a struggle that began generations ago.

Stand with Anjiro Initiative.
Help keep education alive, just as our ancestors did.

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v

Sonia Sotomayor’s words come from experience: she knows that education is the foundation of every opportunity. Growing up in a poor neighborhood, she saw how a child’s future can be shaped, or limited by the school they attend.

Her message is simple but powerful: a society can never be fair if its classrooms aren’t. When some children start the race miles behind, equality becomes an illusion. Education is the first place where justice must begin.

Still 18 days to go!
A heartfelt thank‑you to everyone who has already contributed.
For those who would still like to support, the campaign is ongoing, you can make your donation here: http://bit.ly/3QbIV9v