MORRISBURG – “Because of your support of the Madagascar School Project, children can enjoy their childhoods, enjoy their learning and look forward to their futures.”
Kathy Lucking, founder of the Madagascar School Project, addressed a crowd of over 90 supporters at the Morrisburg Legion on Saturday, October 14, during a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Project. “Our mission is to enable all children to go to school.”
Following a delicious dinner (with lovely music by Aline Daykin and Steve McMillan) prepared by members of the Legion Auxiliary, and served by students, the audience then enjoyed the musical stylings of Practically in Tune, a group of four very talented young musicians from Seaway District High School, under the direction of teacher Colleen Leslie. Jennessa Richmire, Ethan Johnston, Kelsey Duncan and Ruby Jansen performed numbers ranging from “Don’t Stop Believing” to “Jealous” to the delight of the crowd.
Introduced by Nick Lee, guest of honour, Kathy Lucking then took the stage, with a power point presentation of the many activities and accomplishments of the Madagascar School Project.
Madagascar, lying off the coast of Africa is a nation facing tough and ongoing challenges. Hit hard by deforestation and floods, and struggling still to recover from the effects of the Pandemic, the minimum wage for many families is $63 a month. School fees are often beyond their resources. “Hunger is a fact of life in Madagascar,” Lucking explained. Yet the people and their government have great hopes for the future. And some of that hope comes from the work of Kathy Lucking and her teachers, and from the efforts of volunteers and donors here in Canada who continue to support the Madagascar School Project.
The first school was built 15 years ago, after a group of volunteers in Canada, and particularly the Anglican parish of South Dundas, undertook to raise funds and secure the assistance of the Tenaquip Foundation. That school had just 65 students. Today, the Project school is a 42 classroom building with more than 800 students and a staff of 82 salaried employees and teachers. The school has set up a fish farm, built terraced gardens to grow food for students and people in the area, and constructed reservoirs to ensure that there will be fresh water. In 2022, the students planted 2,000 trees and care for them.
“We’ve bought and planted rice fields and built a rice mill, so that people from all around the region can come to us to prepare their rice harvests. We have six cooks on staff, and our children are fed every day. To demonstrate how important your support has been to us,” Lucking told the crowd, “just $50 is enough to feed a school child for the whole 10 months of the school year. As well as the academic subjects, we also teach many skills and useful crafts. This year we hope to introduce the trade of wood-working.” The school has also just opened a medical clinic on site. “We hope to have our own doctor in 2024,” Lucking laughed. “He’s currently finishing his medical degree.”
Student sponsorship programs, solid education, self-sufficiency projects, and the ongoing support of the Madagascar School Project have made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of children. With continued support and hope, they will truly become their nation’s future.
“This project has carried on because of all the help Canadians have given us,” Kathy Lucking, founder of the Project, told the crowd at the 15th Anniversary celebration in Morrisburg. “We have always been able to count on you.”
