One of the many areas Alvogen has been focusing on in its Better Planet charity fund is Madagascar, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. An estimated 82% of children there live under the poverty line and more than 1.5 million are out of school. While the country is on track towards achieving gender parity at primary school level, the situation at the post primary level is still a major equity issue. Through UNICEF, Alvogen has therefore been actively engaged in removing barriers to girls’ education at the junior secondary school level.
Alvogen is proud to be one of the major donors to the Basic Education programme, which promotes the rights of the most vulnerable children in Madagascar to a basic education and gender equality. Due to cultural and financial barriers such as rural poverty, geographical distances, discriminatory beliefs, sexual exploitation, early pregnancy and marriage, girls often do not continue their schooling after primary school.
Luckily, UNICEF has been working with the ministry of Education and NGO partners to change all that. Thanks to its direct support from Alvogen, 180 children in the poorest regions of Madagascar have been provided with access to education through the construction of three fully furnished and equipped classrooms. At the same time teachers have received vital pedagogical training, and sanitation facilities, which are crucial for the continued attendance of adolescent girls in school, have been installed, as well as tables, benches and education supplies.
Thanks to this support, efforts will continue to boost the demand for girls’ education, and to provide them with an opportunity to complete the full cycle of school, as well as enhance the quality of their education.
One of the girls to benefit from this initiative through a scholarship was the 16 year old Amine:
“The scholarship I received changed my life,” she said, “I never would have dared to even dream about going back to school one day. I will do everything I can to get the best from this opportunity, and I hope one day my child will benefit from this program as well.”