Ninety per cent of the inhabitants of Madagascar live below the poverty line and less than half of islanders have access to clean drinking water. Education is the future, but access to good education is denied to many families. Although schooling is in theory compulsory in Madagascar, illiteracy is common.
School fees and the cost of textbooks and stationery as well as the compulsory school uniform are prohibitive for many families. Parents are also expected to contribute towards the costs of the teaching staff and the maintenance of the school. The shocking consequence is, instead of a school education, the exploitation of children as cheap labour along with drug consumption and petty crime. The Salesians of Don Bosco have therefore taken on the job of helping the street children and other minors from socially disadvantaged families. They are empowered through education, making life worth living and giving them a better chance in life in the future.
The Margarete Müller-Bull Foundation also seeks to offer children this opportunity. With our financial help we have supported preschool and literacy courses, the purchasing of schoolbooks and stationery, attendance at a mainstream school, catering in the school and a range of free-time activities for 250 children. The funds that we were able to provide were sufficient to fully finance two groups of children and youths with varying educational backgrounds for a full year. A particular focus was placed on the parents, so that they can continue to provide basic education for their children.