In Madagascar, school closures undertaken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have affected more than 7 million children. Even before the pandemic, only one out of three Malagasy children completed primary education, and the recent school closures are exacerbating a protracted learning crisis that plagues the country. Each year, Malagasy children’s learning is affected by emergencies – such as drought, diseases, floods and cyclones – and longer-term planning is needed to address learning loss due to these overlapping emergencies.

In March 2020, the Acronis Cyber Foundation constructed a new school for the children of Abalafeno village in Madagascar and completed the construction in December 2020. During the holiday season in 2021, we returned to Abalafeno village with our partner BCD-SINTRAG AG to construct an additional library and computer classroom building.

Friedrich Frieling, Managing Director of BCD-Sintrag AG, was immediately enthusiastic about the idea.

We as BCD-SINTRAG AG stand for diversity, equality and sustainability. In addition to our own efforts, we are always happy to carry out appropriate actions together with our partners”, he emphasizes.

The success of the school is evident. The once dilapidated school is one of the best performing schools in the district, with the students going from 55% to 97% passing rate in the National Examination now! Digital access and tools are the game-changers to leapfrog into the future for the Malagasy children with no access to quality education. The opportunity to reimagine education helps to ignite their dreams and support them across every part of their lives.

Acronis Cyber Foundation welcomes individuals, groups, and companies to partner with us to work side-by-side with underserved communities to bring them hope through education.

Contact us to find out more!