Soakilonga Association
The Soakilonga Association, founded in 2008 by Dr. Josette Rakotohery, is focused on four main areas:
Nutrition and Health:
Screening for malnutrition and care for malnourished children from disadvantaged families (meals of enriched flours called koba);
Preventive care (education on hygiene, health, etc.), and curative care for children and mothers in need (outpatient surgeries, medical consultations, and various treatments).
Education and Women's Empowerment:
School reinforcement and literacy programs;
Sports and cultural education.
Agriculture:
Teaching food self-sufficiency;
Organic farming.
In the same year, it opened its first center in Mahitsy, two years later the Tsarazaza center, and in 2019 the Ihosy center.
Soakilonga currently has ... employees and more than 817 beneficiaries aged ... to ... years.
Mahitsy - Tsarazaza - Ihosy
Children eating koba at the Soakilonga center in Ankily, Ihosy, August 2024.
Socio-educational program
Artistic and sports activities, as well as weekly free academic support for over 300 children and young adults benefiting from Soakilonga
Mahitsy: Disadvantaged children and youth, urban area
Karate / self-defense for girls
Beginner guitar
Beginner slackline
Mixed children's football
Tsarazaza: Children and youth from rural villages
Beginner English classes
Beginner / advanced spoken French classes
Beginner slackline
Ihosy: Climate refugees and malnourished children
Introduction to slackline at the Soakilonga center in Ankily, Ihosy, in August 2024.
Mixed children's basketball
visual art
sewing
Youth football (female / male)
Youth basketball (female / male)
Reading / library
Beginner / advanced spoken French classes
Reading / library
Malagasy literacy
Beginner slackline
Mixed children's basketball
2-years budget september 2024/26: 8'500 CHF
Our 13 animators are young people between the ages of 16 and 29. Through our socio-educational program, we promote youth employment and support committed young people.
Beginner French course by Charline, 25 years old, in Tsarazaza, September 2024.
Painting of the giant alphabet in the classroom in Ihosy for the French and Malagasy literacy classes by Mirindra, 24 years old, and Mirana, 25 years old, in August 2024.
Bale, 19 years old, guitar teacher at the Mahitsy center, August 2024.
Bertho, 16 years old, captain of the slackline club in Tsarazaza, July 2024.
Plastic pollution and deforestation prevention program in Tsarazaza
Every 2 months in 3 villages:
Collection of plastic waste
The children and villagers gather and clean the area of their village. The collected waste is weighed and then incinerated. At the end of the year, we compare the amount collected in each village as a small competition.
Prevention of deforestation and plastic pollution
Raising awareness among the population about the negative effects of deforestation and coaching on clay charcoal production.
Reforestation
Creation and maintenance of a small forest by planting 5 trees per village per session: 2 pines to restore the valley’s endemic species; 2 fruit trees to contribute to agricultural development and food diversification; and 1 flowering tree to encourage the return of bees and thus promote the pollination of local agriculture. In 1 year, the Roots Family will have planted 100 trees in the valley of Tsarazaza.
Collection of waste around the Tsarazaza center in July 2024, amount collected by 24 children in 1 hour:53kg.
1-year budget November 2024/25: 6'200 CHF
Soakilonga's nutritional Centers:
Located in the peri-urban area, not far from the capital Antananarivo, the Mahitsy Center is the very first center built by Dr. Josette. It serves as the main base for the Soakilonga teams and also as a welcome place for young people in difficulty.
The second Soakilonga center is reachable after 2 days of travel from Mahitsy via Antsirabé, followed by a one-hour walk up the valley along the river from the village of Tsarazaza. This remote region of the Malagasy highlands lacks doctors, roads, and easy access to water, electricity, and education. The local populations, particularly the youth, are affected by alcoholism and malnutrition due to a lack of food diversification.
The Ankily Center was established 5 years ago in partnership with the Ihosy hospital, in response to the climate emergency in the deep south of Madagascar, which has made millions of victims of drought and famine. Since then, the center has become independent and welcomes hundreds of children under 5 years old for koba (a traditional Malagasy porridge), including climate refugees who have migrated from the South and settled in the cactus forest, half an hour’s walk away.
A dining hall for koba, with an 'under the ocean' theme painted by the Roots Family
A permaculture garden
A solar oven
A library
A classroom
A half basketball court
Anchors for slackline
A cabinet with medical permanence
A garden
Beehives and flower plantings to encourage the return of bees and thus support agriculture
A classroom
A library
A covered area for ping-pong and other activities, topped with a 'giant forest' painted by the Roots Family
A half basketball court
Anchors for slackline
A cabinet with medical permanence
A garden
A dining hall / classroom
A library in a 'forest of baobabs and cacti' as well as a 'giant alphabet' painted by the Roots Family
A basketball court
Anchors for slackline
