Sustainable Schools in Madagascar

Children & youth

Jan 1

Who: Mada Consult

What: Multicultural organization

Where: Madagascar

Project period: 2013-2021

Web: Mada Consult

Since 2013, Grieg Foundation has built five large schools in rural Madagascar, in Sofia and Boeny. Funded by the Grieg Foundation, Mada Consult has developed environmentally friendly schools produced from self-locking stone of red soil directly on the construction site with local laborers. The finished schools are given to the local communities and authorities.

The schools are built in rural areas with extremely challenging access. The buildings are environmentally friendly adapted to local needs, local nature with low maintenance needs. The schools give the local population the opportunity to begin and complete 9 years of schooling close to their homes. This means a higher number of children have the opportunity to attend school and to continue to vocational schools and university education.

All schools are built for 400 students with 8 classrooms, 2 wells, a library with a canteen, teachers building and toilets.

A larger house by the main road in Tsaramandroso was renovated in 2018. This building is located by a paved road and also functions as an intermediate storage for redistribution of medicines and equipment to the communities

Covid led to challenges for the school building agenda. However, challenges are also opportunities, and in the autumn of 2020, the construction of the fifth school began in Ambondromamy municipality.

The construction manager for the schools is Øystein Hansen who has worked in Madagascar since 2006. His engagement for building schools started in 2008. He saw the need for schools and education working on his afforestation project. It was difficult finding workers who could read and write. The local communities in the rural areas approached him and asked for assistance and help to build schools.