Interim Report for:

Project Sekoly – Module 2

Provision of two school buildings and one latrine block for Manambaro Lycée, Anosy Region, Southeast Madagascar

Reporting on activities from January 2017 – July 2017

Prepared for

Trade

July 2017

SEED MadagascarSuite 7, 1a Beethoven St, London, W10 4LG, United Kingdom

Villa Rabemanda, Ambinanikely, B.P. 318, Tolagnaro, MadagascarEmail: projects@seedmadagascar.org

Web: madagascar.co.uk

1. Introduction

The last decade has seen an ongoing crisis in the education system in Madagascar, with political instability in 2009 causing an 86% fall in national investment in education (World Bank, 2013). A lack of classrooms, benches and facilities in schools across the country consistently undermines the quality of education received by the nation’s children, making it difficult for students to stay in school and progress with their studies. The direct negative consequences for communities are both social and economic, as young people are unable to access the progressive livelihood opportunities which would allow them and their families to break the cycle of poverty.

To increase access to education, the regional education authority (DREN) started building Manambaro Lycée in 2011. However, despite DREN’s efforts, when the school opened in October 2012 it had no furniture, nor a water point or sanitation facilities. Furthermore, with only four classrooms that have total capacity for 200 students, there was still an insufficient number of school spaces for the majority of students in the 16 middle schools which fall in the Lycée’s catchment area.

To address these problems, SEED Madagascar (SEED) has been working to support the Manambaro Lycée since 2015. Module 2 of Sekoly focuses on building an additional latrine block and two more school buildings, providing four new classrooms and thus an extra 160 spaces for students at the Lycée. The second module is also working to continue monitoring water and hygiene practices within the Lycée, ensuring that the latrines and well are properly maintained by the school committee and acceptable hygiene standards are maintained.

Since the last report, significant progress has been made with construction of the new school buildings. One building is now very close to completion, with just cupboards and blackboards left to be installed over the summer ready for it to be used by the Lycée for the new school year in October. The second building is also well underway, with foundations lain and the walls and floors being built. Work on the new latrine block is also on-track to ensure it can be used when the students return to school. Both staff and students at the Lycée remain motivated and committed to improving hygiene practices and maintaining the sanitation and water facilities that have already been built.

Left: Students in class at Manambaro Lycée; Right: the national flag of Madagascar flying in the school grounds

2. Activity Details

2.1. Construction activities

Project Sekoly Module 2 includes the provision of two fully-furnished school buildings and a new, two-cubicle Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine block. Each school building will consist of two classrooms, each furnished with 20 benches, one blackboard, one teacher’s desk and chair, one cupboard and one shelf.

Throughout the implementation of Project Sekoly, SEED has ensured that the local community is closely involved in the construction process. Reputable local builders were recruited to SEED’s construction team and local residents were enlisted to help unload the trucks transporting the construction materials. In addition, the project utilised international volunteers from SEED’s award-winning ‘Pioneer’ programme, who have provided invaluable support and assistance to the construction team. As a consequence, progress on construction work increases and slows depending on the season and numbers of international volunteers. Progress is generally slower in European winter months when volunteer numbers are lowest.

Module 2: First school building

The majority of construction work for the first school building1 was completed from January to October 2016, with the foundations laid, building erected, roof installed and windows and doors in place. Since January this year;

• Blackboards were built and painted for each classroom

• Cupboards were built and fitted in each classroom

• The floors have been rendered

• All doors and windows were reinforced to ensure durability

1 This refers to the first school building of Module 2. The first school building constructed by SEED at Manambaro Lycée constructed during Module 1 is now being used by the school.

Ongoing work at the Manambaro Lycée

Future activities

The building is now almost complete, with just final touches to be finished over the summer months. These include one last coat of paint on the roof and fitting locks to the doors and windows, as well as cleaning and tidying each classroom of construction dirt and debris. The building is being used to house construction materials for the second building, and thus these final tasks will be completed once the roof has been installed on the second building. Regardless, both classrooms in the first school building will be fully equipped and ready for use by the start of the new school year in October 2017.

Module 2: Second school building

Construction work on the second school building began in June 2017. Activities completed so far include:

Sourcing, purchase and transportation of materials;o Cement, wire and planks were sourced in Fort Dauphin and transported to the site at

Manambaro Lycéeo Gravel, scaffolding, timber, rocks and bricks were sourced and transported from nearby

villageso Sand and clay were initially sourced on-site. When supplies are exhausted they will be

sourced off-site from local villages Clearing of the construction site;

o The site was cleared and an outline for the building was dug by the local construction team alongside international volunteers

Laying of the building’s foundations;o This involved setting a base layer of concrete reinforced with steel bars before building up

layers of granite stones and mortar to ground level. The foundations were reinforced with metal bars at all corners and structurally significant points (see photos below)

Our construction team working alongside international volunteers to lay the foundations for the second school building.

Building the wallso Work has begun on brick-laying to build up the walls of the new classrooms, using mortar

and clay to set the bricks

Future activities

At time of writing, construction of the second building is ongoing with support from a dedicated team of international volunteers. The construction team estimate all work will be finished on this building in November, meaning the classrooms will be ready for use from the beginning of 2018 onwards. The activities listed below are due to be completed in the coming months:

Wall erected using bricks, mortar and reinforced concrete Foundations of the floor made using the common technique of rock weaving Installation of the roof by erecting a roofing frame and covering this with a tin roof Fixtures and fittings will be made for each classroom, including;

o Cupboards built using concrete and finished with wooden shelving and doors o Forty benches built out of sustainably-sourced timber, sanded and varnishedo Blackboards built and painted with special blackboard paint

Left: Digging the groundwork on the first day of construction on the second school building; Right: Foundations complete, ready for laying the floor and brick walls

Laying bricks with mortar and clay to build up the walls on the second school building

The two-cubicle double vault VIP latrine

The VIP latrine has a scent pipe from the pit to above the roof of the building. Air is drawn up the pipe from the pit and fresh air is drawn into the pit from the building, preventing offensive odours from entering the infrastructure. The majority of construction work on the latrine block was completed between January 2016 and June 2016. Since then, latrine doors on both cubicles have been installed and painted, with locks attached.

Future activities

The latrine block is very close to being completed, with just a few minor jobs remaining. These include installing concrete vault doors to seal the exit for the waste flow and a final coat of paint. As with the first school building, it will be finished and ready for use by the start of the new school year in October.

2.2 WASH activities

Due to the success of WASH education sessions given to all new students at the beginning of the school year and the ongoing motivation and commitment of both staff and students to improving hygiene practices, there has been little need to run any further WASH activities during this reporting period. Both the well and first latrine block built during Module 1 of Sekoly have been found clean and functioning during observational visits, suggesting they are being well maintained by the school.

Further WASH assessments will be conducted before project close to ensure these high standards continue. Moreover, WASH educational sessions will be re-run to all new students at the beginning of the new school year in October by the headmistress of the Lycée.

SEED’s two-cubicle pit latrines at Lycée Manambaro

3. Case Studies

Case Study 1 – Local Construction Worker

Joachin is a 50-year-old construction worker from Manambaro who, before turning his hand to construction work, was a soldier in the army. Joachin’s first experience in construction was somewhat indirect - providing security for a construction company – but his hands-on experience started when SEED began on the first Lycée Manambaro building in 2015. He has learnt new skills through Sekoly, including brick-laying, and the steady income has allowed Joachin to save for a bicycle. “I am now able to easily visit my family who are spread out around Manambaro rural commune. I can also ride to Fort Dauphin [the urban centre of the Anosy Region] to buy goods for the local shops in Manambaro.” Joachin enjoys the comradery of the SEED team, including time with the other construction workers to interactions with international volunteers. Joachin recognises the value of the project to his community, saying “We would not be able to build the Lycée otherwise.”

Case Study 2 - International Volunteer working on Construction

A high school student herself, Breagh Mcmillan, 17, knows the value of education, and spent four days assisting with construction as part of a school expedition. “The most rewarding part of the experience was seeing the local children in town and around the campsite, knowing that the classrooms we are helping to build will one day benefit them and help them to access a better

education.” Like Joachin, Breagh also appreciated the team dynamic of the local construction team. “It was amazing to see how skilled, efficient and hard-working the Malagasy builders are. We enjoyed listening to all of the workers on the construction team chatting and laughing together in the evenings after work, even though I didn’t understand what they were talking about!” Indeed, Breagh relished learning a little bit of the language, as well as Malagasy culture and traditions. Her new construction skills include laying granite stones for the building foundations and mixing cement by hand, which is “very hard work!”

4. Conclusion

Module 2 of Project Sekoly in Manambaro is making strong progress, with the first school building and new latrine block almost complete and construction work on-going on the second school building. By the new school year in October, staff and students at the Lycée will be able to take advantage of two new fully-furnished classrooms, helping to increase access to higher education across the rural Manambaro commune. Moreover, by January 2018 the final two classrooms should also be ready for teaching, increasing available school spaces even further. Use of the new latrine block, alongside continued use and maintenance of the already existing latrine block and well built during Module 1, will ensure the Lycée is providing a safe and sanitary environment for students to learn.

Looking towards the long term, the two extra school buildings afford the opportunity for an extra 1,600 young people from remote rural communities to attend high school over the next decade. The opportunity to gain the key Malagasy Baccalaureate qualification will provide individuals with the means to fulfil their potential, and improve chances of securing formal employment. This is not only beneficial on an individual level but also for the community as a whole, with a generation of educated, more prepared youths that are better able to tackle the stark challenges faced by the region as it works towards socioeconomic development.

5. References

World Bank, (2013) Primary education in a time of crisis [online] Available at: <http://www- wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/12/26/000356161_201312 26161831/Rendered/PDF/ACS65840WP0P120Box0382105b00PUBLIC0.pdf> (Accessed: 04/04/2016).

Hard at work on the foundations for the second school building