The school’s goal is to contribute to the formation of young people by offering them quality education
By Jean Tuluba *
The Consolata missionaries arrived in Madagascar on March 13, 2019 to work in the diocese of Ambanja, in the northwest of the Island. After a suitable period of study of the Malagasy language, on October 20, 2019 they began their pastoral service in the new mission of Beandrarezona, created with the arrival of the first three missionaries, Fathers Jean Tuluba (DR Congo), Jared Makori (Kenya) and Kizito Mukalazi (Uganda).
Our mission is the latest parish created in the diocese and is located almost 1000 kilometers from Antananarivo, the capital of the country. It extends over three rural municipalities and has more than 80 villages, of which only 12 have Christian communities. The villages are very far from each other and the only possible means of transport to visit them is by motorbike, but in most of them you can only get there on foot. To reach some communities we have to walk up to 14 hours. It takes strength and determination to face the difficulties of the roads. Out of a population of 2,587,014 (2022 census) within the diocese, only 7% of the population is Catholic, and in our mission the Catholics are about 3% of the total population of 21,170 (2018 census). As you can see, it is truly a mission ad gentes that needs our presence and attention.
The main activities of the mission are visits to the communities, sacramental catechesis, the formation of catechists, missionary and vocational animation, the formation of young people and children… The majority of the population of our mission is made up of young people and children. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of the population of Madagascar is made up of young people and children.
An educational project
After getting in touch with the local reality, we noticed that in Beandrarezona and in the other villages, there were private and public schools: nursery schools, elementary schools, but a lack of secondary and high schools.
After an exchange of ideas with local leaders and parents, we felt the need to build a secondary school because the youth of Beandrarezona and other nearby villages were forced to leave their families after primary school to continue their studies in town. This has a significant economic impact on families, who need money to pay for travel, food and rent for their children with their meager income, which has become the main cause of many young people droping out of school, to go to work in the fields.
With the help of our recently deceased confrere, Father Noè Cereda (may the Lord grant him eternal rest) and his friends in Italy, we began to build the school in 2021 after the Covid-19 epidemic. In spite of the many difficulties we encountered, such as the expensive transportation of materials from Antananarivo, the absenteeism of workers, with determination, we completed the school this year, 2024.
School inauguration and blessing
Finally, on September 2, 2024, the school was officially inaugurated and opened with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Mons. Francis Donatien Randriamalala, diocesan bishop of Ambanja, who blessed the building. The celebration was attended by priests, nuns, local administrative and political authorities, representatives of local religious confessions, Christians of our mission, friends and acquaintances. Soon after, the next day, classes began with 30 students.
The local authorities and the Christians thanked the diocese for having invited the Consolata Missionaries to work in the diocese. They thanked for the work of Father Noé Cereda and the missionaries for building such a beautiful school. The population is ready to collaborate with us to make this project a success by sending their young people, and giving them the right conditions to succeed in life and to contribute to the future of their society.
We have chosen to manage the school gradually, opening one class per year until the completion of the three-year cycle. This is because the level of formation of the students is very low. Opening one class per year will help us to accompany the formation of the students and also the ongoing formation of the teachers.
The school as a means of evangelization
The school’s goal is to contribute to the formation of the youth of our mission, offering them a quality education that gives them equal opportunities with other youth of the city. The school is a great tool for evangelization in many ways. Although many young people are not very interested in religion, through the school they can discover the message of the Gospel and their families can also be reached.
Among the first 30 students, a good percentage come from other religious denominations. The school also becomes a way to dialogue with members of other religions through the academic formation of their children, as they place their trust on us by allowing them to study in our school. In this way, the school is not only a center of education, but also a meeting place between different religious affiliations.
We are grateful to Father Noé Cereda and his friends and to the Consolata missionaries for this great and precious gift to the youth. We hope that this school will truly be an instrument of consolation for the people of Beandrarezona, and help the development of the Malagasy society, and the Church too.
The great challenge for us now is paying the teachers salaries. Here, all public schools pay their teachers with the students fees. At present, in our school, the monthly school fees paid by the 30 students is not enough to pay the teachers a minimum salary. We must therefore seek other means to supplement the salaries.
Despite these challenges, we are not discouraged. As our Founder, Father Joseph Allamano taught us, we trust in Divine Providence and in the help of our friends to continue this good work of consolation. We have started it and for sure it will continue and succeed. May the Holy Spirit, protagonist of the mission, and Our Lady Consolata enlighten our path, and help us to walk always together with the people.
* Father Jean Tuluba, IMC, Beandrarezona Mission, Madagascar.
