Our Projects: Current, Ongoing, Previous and Future…
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We are currently raising money for:
A new high school in the Morarano School complex. This high school will be in the same school complex where GemsOfMadagascar.org built a four-classroom elementary school building, toilets, rainwater collection and cleaning tanks, a handwashing station and a computer lab and library. This rural school complex is now the most technologically advanced school in the district.
Currently, the closest high schools serving these students are 3km and 10km away. Getting to those schools requires students to walk along the
busy highway. Consequently, these kids avoid the danger and long walk by dropping out. It is important the students at this elementary school be able to continue their high-quality education in the same fabulous school complex they currently attend.
This project is a 4-classroom high school building with 3 administrative offices. The maximum capacity is 240 students, 60 students per classroom. We hope to begin construction in 2024.
Growing Food Forests in both areas where we work. This project will be introduced during our October 22, 2023 Feeding Future Generations event at Shupe Homestead
Recent Projects 2020 to Present
| Farming Complex for Ankevohevo: Covid was hard on everyone worldwide. With no tourists to Madagascar for over two years, the children in the choir weren’t able to give performances to make money. To make matters worse, their village was hit with a cyclone in February 2022, which wiped out, not only homes, but also their rice paddies and many of their banana trees. The people were literally starving.
Animals in Madagascar are generally starving and treated poorly. It’s common in Madagascar to see pigs and chickens tied to trees by their legs. I wanted to teach the kids how to properly care for animals so they produce healthy babies and healthy food. Pig Enclosure Our pig enclosure is large with plenty of space for the pigs to roam. It features 7 large covered shelters and lots of gates so it can be configured for specific needs. For example, if the boar With a focus on hygiene for the animals, we built cement slabs to put the pig food on…so they don’t have to eat off the ground or in a sloppy trough. They also drink fresh rainwater collected from the roofs of the shelters. The water is funneled directly into collection tanks and pigs drink it from water nipples, so the water stays clean and healthy. The pigs eat commercial feed, some local greens and some scraps from local restaurants.
The kids love the pigs and have learned a lot about caring for them properly. One commented on how nice their hair is…we explained that’s what happens when you use farming techniques that focus on health!
Chicken Coop Our chicken enclosure is also quite large complete with nesting boxes, roosts and large chicken runs. It features a two-sided chicken coop. One side is for raising eggs for human consumption. The other side is raising eggs for hatching! I’m excited to report that we already got our first batch of baby chicks with more on the way. The farm is also producing about a dozen eggs for human consumption each day. The people had never had eggs before and they love to put them in their rice for added nutrition. The rule is, whomever is responsible for caring for the chickens that day gets to keep the eggs to eat.
We started small with 12 hens to lay eggs for food, but our little farm is growing quickly with many baby chicks. Once again, the kids are learning important lessons on how to properly care for chickens. And they absolutely love getting the eggs to eat everyday. |
 Solar-Powered Library and Computer Lab: In 2020, GemsOfMadagascar.org built a new four-classroom school building to serve students from Ambalafeno and surrounding villages. The building replaced a small single classroom building that was destroyed by a cyclone in 2018. As part of our project, we also refurbished the other buildings in the school complex and built new toilets and a hand-washing station.
One small building was not refurbished because it wasn’t structurally sound for use. The school director asked if we could re-build that building and make it into a much-needed library and computer lab. The project was finished in fall of 2022 and was a collaborative effort between GemsOfMadagascar.org and GroundBreaker, a partner NGO that funded the building, solar power and computers. The department of education provided an educational local area network for the school.
This school is now the most technologically advanced school in the district. While the Groundbreaker grant paid for the construction of the building and computers, we still need funds for library books. We have space for books in English, Malagasy and French, but our shelves are quite empty at the moment. |
We received a grant from Central Lutheran Church Foundation to use as we see fit. We wanted a project to teach the kids some important life skills, to put food on their tables and to make some money. After praying about it, we got the fabulous idea to build a farming complex.
needs to be separated from the females and/or babies, he can be isolated in the shelter all by itself. If a mama is having babies, we can shut gates to isolate her with her babies etc.
The pig enclosures are cleaned and new bedding is provided weekly.
Again, keeping hygiene in mind, chickens also drink fresh rainwater and their feeders are suspended off the ground to keep the food clean and healthy. The chickens eat commercial feed and also the ground up egg shells for extra calcium.
Having both a computer lab and a library in their local school has given these students not just an advantage in their schooling, but also a love for education. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in student enrollment and national exam pass rates have increased from 50-60% before the school construction of the first building to 96-97% average since 2020.
The Ankevohevo Children’s Choir: The Ankevohevo children’s choir, sponsored by GemsOfMadagascar.org, was off to a good start in 2020 with a new choir director, regularly scheduled performances, and a good income from tips.
Unfortunately, since the borders closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19, there have been no tourists and thus, no tips to supplement the family incomes of the children. Despite the lack of tourists and no financial reward, the kids continue to have regular rehearsals to prepare for the day they can start giving performances again.
It became apparent we need to help support the choir children and their families during this pandemic. We regularly reward them with turkeys, pigs, chickens, ducks, school supplies and other things that will help their families thrive despite the hardships.
With these rewards, several kids have been able to breed their animals and learn about farming. The goal is to give them a better life than their parents had. And these animals help them accomplish that goal. See below for more information about the Ankevohevo Children’s Choir.
 Toilets and Wash Basins in Ranomafana: We have already built one complex of toilets and wash basins (and a shower) in Ranomafana. We’re looking to build two more in other areas of the town. Ranomafana is a tourist town near a lemur habitat. Although, it’s a popular tourist destination, it needs some basic facilities to help the town thrive. The project is self-sustaining as there is a small fee to use the facilities. The commune has a full-time employee managing the area, keeping it clean and stocked. In exchange, she keeps most of the money that is paid for facilities. The hope is this project will help the people of Ranomafana adopt better health and hygiene practices, rather than washing their clothes and defecating in the nearby river. The facilities also give visitors a clean place to use the facilities. |
 
Hunger Crisis Project: The south of Madagascar was experiencing an ongoing drought affecting over 1 million people. Because of the lack of water and poverty, people are literally starving to death. People have had to leave their homes to scavenge anything they can find for food. Malnourishment among children is climbing at alarming rates. GemsOfMadagascar.org partnered with two other fabulous organizations, The Acronis Foundation and www.EnterTheEarth.com, to send over 11 metric tons of food to two neighboring villages in the South. The truck, driver and security were provided by the emergency relief branch of the Malagasy government. Our in-country representatives, Santatra and Benja, went along to ensure a smooth distribution to those most in need.
Although this drought is far from the villages where we work, we wanted to benefit them as well. To do this, we bought as many crops as possible from them. The school director has also agreed to allow the children at the new school to help stuff bags with vegetables as a humanitarian project. This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn about those less fortunate in their own country. The mission was successful yet challenging. There were several vehicle breakdowns and two bandit attacks, so we’re grateful our team made it home safely. The great news is that this mission saved lives. The milk provided gave the little boy, in the arms of our representative above, and his family the strength and endurance to make the journey to a hospital farther away to have him treated. We’re happy to say, the little boy survived.
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We sent nutrient-rich foods…meats and durable fruits, grains and vegetables to not only to provide food, but also help combat the ongoing issue of malnourishment they have.
he area. Now they are beginning the process of rebuilding their 
homes.
This building provides a place where expectant mothers who live 5k-25k away can stay close to the hospital during late term pregnancy. Women in distant villages often wait until they are in labor to make the journey to the hospital. Sometimes babies are born alongside the road, which can lead to delivery complications resulting in the death of the mother and/or baby. This house provides shelter for four women to stay for up to two weeks. Expectant mothers are also given some food to cook and baby items. It is conveniently located next to the hospital, so mothers can go next door when labor begins.
and wash basin complexes in this area. These complexes will be for both locals and visitors to the area. These complexes help the local Malagasy people adopt better health and hygiene practices. They also give visitors clean public toilets to use. For a small fee, locals can wash their clothes with clean water and use the toilets rather than using the nearby river for both. Our full time attendant keeps the place clean and stocked for a percentage of the revenue.Ladies enjoy using the new wash basin. One woman said she was developing back problems from scrubbing clothes over rocks in the river. The wash basin relieves the stress on her back.
We have an ongoing project with Ankevohevo teaching the kids music, singing and performance. Ankevohevo is a rural village located not far from the tourist town, Ranomafana. The kids sound like choir of angels when they sing, so we wanted to teach them how to perform in the hopes they can provide some entertainment for visitors to the area and earn some money for the village. They are excited about the opportunity. Our Malagasy partner, Dina, is a professional musician and music teacher, so he is having a blast working with the kids. Their first public performance was March 2017. T
In 2018 we added pavilions over each wash basin so the women can wash clothes protected during the rainy season. The pavilions also offer a nice shady place to gather and sing during hot summer months.