ACCESS TO EDUCATION
LEVER 1 SCHOOLING FOR ALL
The education of young people is a major issue in Madagascar. Authentic Products is deeply committed to promoting education and thus guiding boys and girls towards intellectual and financial independence. A primary school was therefore built (in partnership with the company Firmenich) and in 2022 welcomed 222 children from kindergarten to the final year of primary school. In addition to this figure, there are 77 teenagers enrolled at the new agricultural training center in Mahadera.
LEVER 2 GIRLS' EDUCATION
Women are traditionally the pillar of the family and play an important role in managing the family budget and raising children. Furthermore, it has been observed that many women face a situation of single parenthood in charge of children. Therefore, girls’ education is the precursor to lasting change. An educated girl can take control of her life and ensure that her future children are educated and, in turn, fight against all forms of discrimination that girls face. Authentic Products is trying to increase the proportion of girls in school and, in the same way, to fight against poverty.
LEVER 3 KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND AWARENESS ABOUT CHILD LABOR
Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world. Although child labor is officially prohibited, nearly a quarter of children aged 5 to 17 help their parents to support their families (UNICEF data). By promoting the diversification of cash crops, Authentic Products helps improve and diversify family income sources. To raise awareness and combat child labor, in 2020 Authentic Products enlisted the expertise of the NGO Save the Children to train two project managers over three days. These managers, in turn, would then provide the facilitators of the five projects (10 facilitators) with the necessary tools to communicate effectively on this issue. In addition, Authentic Products submits an annual report to the NGO Save The Children on its activities, the resources deployed, the populations concerned and the problems identified.
