In keeping with our participatory philosophy, Zahana pays for materials out of reach for the villagers (doors, roofing iron, nails, cement, paint, etc), while they will contribute locally available materials, bricks and their labor. Zahana will find, hire and train one teacher for all students. In addition to the children’s school curriculum with focus on reading and writing, the community requested the school to be a place for adult learning as well. A strong focus on agriculture and crop improvement is part of the teacher’s role in providing continuing community wide education for everybody.

In our participatory development effort Zahana sees a school as a larger package that is more than a mere physical structure, easily built in a few days or weeks. A budget that goes beyond the initial brick and mortar must reflect this reality.

Infusing a school with life for years to come requires a long-term commitment, often much less photogenic than the building process. These components involves for example to hire and train the teacher and help the community to pay their salaries for the first years of teaching. Finding a trainer that can work on a tailor-made curriculum for a community that never had a school before and focusing on adult literacy and education are other key functions for the teacher and the community’s school building. Zahana complements the teachers by hiring e.g. agricultural experts that conduct trainings on site, living in the village for the duration. This differs from traditional style consultations often done by looking at a map in an office or “swinging by” for a half-day visit.

Providing food for the students can be an essential program that greatly increases the efficiency of teaching. In our other school in Fiadanana, Zahana found that most students come to school hungry and have a hard time concentrating and learning.

Dear friends,

The official opening of the school in Fairenana was celebrated on March 4, 2010, although school already started in January after the completed teacher’s training. As you see in the photos the surroundings of the school have been planted with flowers and the environment has been beautified for the inauguration. A well was dug in the schoolyard. It is currently the only well that still has water in the village.

Malagasy celebrations traditionally feature official presentations as did ours with speeches by community representatives and Zahana, performances by the students and food. Congregating around the flagpole, in front of their school, the students sang and recited poems as part of the festivities. A meal for the entire community followed the official opening. It was served inside the school for the community leaders and for the children outside under the gazebo.

To celebrate the official school opening books were presented and donated to the community by Dr. Noro, one of the Zahana supporters. These books are now are the first library ever in the village of Fiarenana.

After the celebrations the community came together to dig the beds for the future school garden. These beds will be planted and tended by the students to provide vegetables and fruit for the school food in the future. In keeping with the idea of a rural university these beds can also be used to test new crops or new seeds in a more “playful” manner, without farmers having to commit their valuable land to test something new they might have never planted or seen before.

Please visit our website for more information and photos about the school