2024 Annual Report of the AKAMASOA Association
that we have been supporting for 13 years
Dear Benefactors and Friends of Akamasoa,
As every year, we want to share our joys and sorrows with all people of goodwill, who are sensitive and generous, who have placed their trust in us and helped us accomplish many projects throughout this year.
We began this year, 2024, with the great hope of being able to provide work to our thousands of workers and improve, as much as possible, their daily lives and living standards. We managed, with much effort, to maintain our goal, thanks also to all the parents and young people who fight every day with ideals and passion for a more just future and a life that is more dignified and fraternal. This is not something decreed by a letter or a fine speech; it is a daily effort we provide to set an example and encourage, against all odds, the 5,000 families living in Akamasoa to stand tall and resist all temptations of an easy life, moral decay, and individualism.
In the field of education, this year we achieved a record number of enrollments as never seen before. There are 20,843 pupils and students studying at various levels in Akamasoa! This is a tremendous trust placed in us by parents and an unwavering responsibility we shoulder. We are happy to announce that our students performed well during the past school year. We particularly want to congratulate the students of our four high schools, who achieved a 96% success rate in the BAC, compared to the national average of around 55%. This demonstrates the seriousness of our education, the dedication of our teachers to teach, share, and pass on knowledge, as well as the diligence, will, and zeal of our students.
This year, we experienced another extraordinary event: the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the humanitarian work of Akamasoa. We began celebrating this milestone at the beginning of the year by printing a small booklet for everyone, containing a prayer, a list of efforts we needed to make throughout the year, as well as the “Dina,” which sets the “laws” to be followed in Akamasoa. We also included in this booklet beautiful photos of the many villages we have built. Every Sunday during Mass, and every Wednesday at 8 p.m. at home, we recite the prayer from the booklet to unite further in this human and spiritual journey that has resurrected us from extreme poverty.
On the anniversary day, Sunday, October 20th, we held a grand celebration with a Thanksgiving Mass for all the blessings received in each family. In the afternoon, the students of Akamasoa and our choreographers presented a group performance involving over 6,000 young boys and girls. It was breathtakingly beautiful and of the highest quality. Many important figures attended this magnificent celebration: the President of the Republic, Mr. Andry Rajoelina, with his wife, the Ministers of Education, Health, and Police, the Apostolic Nuncio, the French Ambassador, the Dean of Ambassadors from Comoros, as well as numerous directors of friendly companies who support us. This festive day will go down in Akamasoa’s history as one filled with joy and fraternity. The day before, we experienced heavy rainfall, but thanks to God, the day of the celebration was blessed with radiant sunshine, gracing the 30,000 people gathered at the Saint Peter Stadium in Andralanitra.
Every year, we experience moments of joy but also sorrow, suffering, and challenges in living in this country. We welcome the pastoral letter from the Bishops of Madagascar issued in mid-November, which strongly challenges the leaders of Madagascar about the lack of water, electricity, poor road conditions, and the corruption that still exists almost everywhere in every sector. They also call on Christians, asking them where they have hidden their faith in the face of so much injustice inflicted on the poorest, their brothers and sisters, and fellow citizens. At Akamasoa, we reflect on this message from the Bishops to apply our faith, solidarity, and generosity within our villages. We aim to be even more truthful, just, fraternal, and courageous in fighting corruption and injustice, starting right at our doorstep.
Dear benefactors and friends, we want to share our work and results from 2024 with you. We were able to build 80 homes for the most disadvantaged families. We constructed 4 primary schools in Bemasoandro, Vohitsoa, Antolojanahary, and Ambatobe-Nosy Varika; 2 middle schools in Mahatsara and Vangaindrano; and 3 high schools in Ampitafa, Marillac Fort Dauphin, and Beloha. We built a library and a hospital in Antolojanahary. Additionally, we built a new kitchen for the canteen in Bemasoandro, along with a clinic and maternity center in Ambatobe-Nosy Varika. We also planted over 10,000 trees in Antolojanahary and Fanomezantsoa.
Here are our upcoming projects for 2025. We plan to build 100 more homes, establish 3 new primary schools in Ranomena, Andralanitra, and Safata, renovate the hospital, and complete the fencing of the Safata Hospital Center. We aim to maintain about 100 homes by replacing old tiles with new, more durable metal sheets. We plan to carry out new drilling and water distribution projects in Manantenasoa, Antolojanahary, Mahatsara, Andralanitra, and other villages. We will construct dozens of latrines for schools in Manantenasoa, Bemasoandro, and Mahatazana. We plan to build a workshop hall for the university and a university restaurant. Additionally, we intend to pave several hundred meters of roads in Manantenasoa and continue reforestation by planting over 10,000 trees in Antolojanahary and its surroundings.
We will begin the new year 2025, a Holy Year, with Faith, Hope, and Love. We will continue to fight to create places of truth and fraternal sharing. During this Holy Year, we will make even greater efforts to persevere in changing our lives and mentalities that prevent us from being more truthful, just, and happy together.
