Help Our Children - Madagascar

International Chairman Malcolm Acors presented the proposed Madagascar Help Our Children project to the club at our meeting on September 25.  Members will recall that we were approached earlier this year by our “Double Triangular” twin club in Alba, Italy, as were all the other clubs of the Double Triangular group, to ask if we would support the project.  The request was urgent so that they could apply for a District Grant, and they sent us a presentation of the planned project to explain it all.  Alba members had visited this very disadvantaged area of Madagascar, and identified a need for multimedia access and computer technology.

Rotary Club of Alba asked for a donation of either Euro 500 or 1000.  As a fellow Rotary Club which we knew so well, and which had been very supportive for our own Borewells project, we were delighted to support them with Euro 1000 and sent it to them at that time.  We were the only club to respond positively at that time, although the Rotary Club of Basildon has since sent its donation.

At the Double Triangular trip (September 7-10) this year, the project was discussed at the Presidents’ Business Meeting.  This took place on the Saturday morning at Alba’s meeting location – a brand new building built by one of its members, where the Rotary Club of Alba rent the boardroom.

Partners

The project will be in co-operation with the Zanantsika Association, which teaches more than 3,100 boys and girls in its nursery, primary and middle schools across 14 villages, and employs about 100 teachers.  It operates a Health Centre, houses particularly disadvantaged children in a Family Home, develops agricultural, sewing, handicraft and adult literacy programs.  Many Italian families support the Association through a Distance Adoption program and donations.

What is the Need?

The project is based on the village of Vohimasina, and plans to provide a multimedia classroom at that local school.  The Club has identified the need for this project because one of its members, a Doctor, has been visiting the area for about 50 years and has developed links with people in the area.  He even adopted a child from there.

The area is very remote, and the people have very little contact with the outside.  There is no electricity, no computers and no TV.  The people are very happy but have no real knowledge of how more developed communities live and work.  

The Proposal

Alba made a one-hour presentation of the needs and project objective, which is to purchase and install 15 portable PCs and software, integrate them with a 2 Kilowatt power supply and battery installation, and a secure cabinet to keep them safe from pilferage.  Teachers would be trained to operate them and instruct the children.  The total cost would be Euro 18,000.

A major concern is not to corrupt the population by exposing them too quickly to the facilities available to more developed communities, instilling in them false expectations of what can be changed and how quickly.  
It will be a slow process, the community is so basic that it doesn’t use money – just a barter system.  So the plan is to educate them, initially with computer skills and then slowly introducing them to the modern world  by providing internet access in a measured and controlled way.  

A key aspect will be training the teachers so they can teach and train the children.  This will be carried out by Alba members free of charge.

All the clubs present who had not already donated to the project, (like us) supported the project and agreed to take it back to their clubs for approval of a donation to Alba Rotary Club.