The initiative “Acting for Nature Conservation – Educating and Empowering Future Eco-Citizens in Africa”, launched early 2025 in partnership with the Fondation Audemars-Watkins and Play for Nature, is already showing promising results on the ground!
This initiative supports 10 NGOs actively working in Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, and Madagascar. Their shared mission: raising youth awareness about environmental preservation through educational and engaging activities.
Numerous initiatives have already been rolled out. Despite the intense heat and heavy rains, children and young people are enthusiastic, school administrators and teachers are highly involved, and the NGOs are more motivated than ever!
As part of its partnership with Youth Conservation, the NGO IMPACT Madagascar has completed the first phase of its environmental education program across three regions: Bongolava, Betsiboka, and Boeny.
Through interactive, hands-on learning, the initiative directly reached over 400 students and more than 350 families in the communities of Mahajeby, Madiromirafy, and Ankirihitra — helping young people understand, experience, and act for nature.
🌱 Children as changemakers for the environment
Mahajeby: learning about climate change through action
In Mahajeby, students explored the issue of climate change through interactive workshops, local-language film screenings, and practical activities such as waste sorting, composting, and the planting of 223 trees.
These sessions inspired tangible action and empowered children to become advocates for sustainability in their own communities.
Madiromirafy: rediscovering local biodiversity
In Madiromirafy, within the Betsiboka region, 68 students took part in a program combining theory-based lessons with educational forest visits.
They discovered Madagascar’s incredible biodiversity, including endangered species like the crowned sifaka (Propithecus coronatus).
For many, it was a magical experience — one that awakened their curiosity, emotions, and respect for nature.
Ankirihitra: linking climate, food, and resilience
In Ankirihitra, more than 200 students established a school vegetable garden (on a 500 m² plot) and helped build a well.
These activities taught sustainable farming practices and strengthened the link between climate, food security, and local resilience.
Today, the harvests from the garden even help supply the school canteen — a concrete outcome of learning through doing.
👩🏫 Lasting impact beyond the classroom
The project’s ripple effects go far beyond school walls:
➡️ Trained teachers ensure long-term environmental learning.
➡️ New infrastructure — gardens, wells, and tree plantations — provide tangible continuity.
➡️ Children become ambassadors of change, sharing their knowledge and values at home.
Overall, more than 350 families have been indirectly reached through the enthusiasm and leadership of the students.
🌺 A model of education rooted in real life
This first phase of the project highlights how impactful environmental education in Madagascar can be when it’s practical, local, and emotionally engaging.
By connecting knowledge with hands-on experiences, IMPACT Madagascar and Youth Conservation show that empowering youth is the key to transforming the future.
💬 About the project
The Environmental Education Program led by IMPACT Madagascar and supported by Youth Conservation aims to strengthen environmental awareness and community resilience in the face of climate change.
A second phase will soon expand the initiative to new schools, building on this first phase’s success and deepening its impact across Madagascar.
If you want to know more about the NGO, you can follow them on Facebook, visit their website or contact them directly by email: admin@impactmadagascar.org.
