2023 is a special year for us. We enjoy looking ahead, especially because it is our anniversary year! AiNA soa has now been active in Madagascar for ten years.

“Since 2013, more than 11,700 people have already taken part in one of our first aid training courses. They have all learned with which measures they can save valuable lives. We are convinced that many of these people have passed on their knowledge to their fellow human beings and that it has thus been multiplied.”

We already planned our goals and priorities for 2023 last year. They were derived from previous activities and are adapted to the current situation in Madagascar.

First aid training for the youth

The collaboration of AiNA soa with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and with the Protestant Scouts in teaching first aid skills was very successful in 2022. In the new year, we will conduct the trainings in a new direction towards the southeast, from the capital to Mananjary. Consequently, we will be active along the two national roads RN7 and RN25. This is because, like the RN2 (focus region in 2022), these roads are also winding and prone to accidents. Youth and young adults will receive first aid training at six cities along these roads.

Our target area 2023

On the road for the courtesy visits

In early February, a team from AiNA soa led by me traveled to Ambatolampy, Antsirabe, and Ambositra, the first three cities, for a courtesy visit. Such visits are important in Madagascar to enable collaboration. The team met with local officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as with local authorities such as district chiefs and mayors. During this occasion, the training project was also presented to regional scout leaders and representatives of youth associations. Local officials as well as youth and young adults expressed their gratitude for the work of AiNA soa and pledged their cooperation in its implementation. The first training session will take place in Ambatolampy during the week of March 6.

Laza with the Regional Directory of Youth and Sports in Antsirabe

Young people attending a presentation in Ambositra

Family growth

The family of AiNA soa in Madagascar has grown. Tsito’s wife got a little boy at the end of last year, which added to the already existing two boys and one girl. Also, Mirindra’s wife had a baby boy at the beginning of the year, they now have three boys.

National news: Cyclones

Due to its geographical location, Madagascar is hit by cyclones every year. This season, several of them have already claimed lives and caused crop and infrastructure damage in several regions. Freddy, the last cyclone that made landfall in mid-February, has been called one of the worst cyclones in Madagascar’s history due to its storm strength. Thanks to God, however, it did not hit  Madagascar as badly as feared.

National news: African Soccer Championship

Let us end this news with good news!

Barea, Madagascar’s national football team, has made history. It won the bronze medal in its very first participation in the African Nations Championship (CHAN). Barea is the name of a strong breed of oxen from the west of the island. From the start of the tournament in Algeria, they impressed African football fans and made all of Madagascar proud. Sporting successes like this inspire joy among the population in the midst of the economic challenges they face on a daily basis.

We are very happy that we can continue to be active thanks to your support.

Sincerely,

Laza