Important celebrations and changes mark these last months of the year 2023. The President of AiNA soa, Jacqueline Ribeli, and her husband were also part of these events during their visit in Madagascar.

A decade of activities

The story of AiNA soa has unfolded from the dedication of one person, to meet the needs of communities in a distant country. Our Swiss-founded organization has been operating in Madagascar for ten years now. During this period, AiNA soa team has successfully trained in first aid over 11,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds.

«We have come a long way in overcoming cultural differences and establishing an organizational culture that aligns everyone toward common goals. Today, we proudly say we have structured content and a well-established reputation as a first-aid training provider.»

This milestone was marked by a family celebration in the presence of Jacqueline Ribeli and her husband. There was also a special event at the National Library to distribute the Vonjy Aina (First Aid) books to public and private partners. The objective is to give them more tools to disseminate the first aid knowledge. Again, as part of this celebration, we trained 37 leaders in the community around our office for free. They were the Mayors’ representatives, leaders of non-profit organizations, school officers and teachers.

Attendees of the Vonjy Aina book distribution

Community leaders benefitting from our free training

A Swiss certificate

Another key event in our work is the reception of a Swiss certificate from Flying Instructor. It means that the training given by AiNA soa meets the quality standard of the world’s leading certification organization Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS). The long and hard work led by our doctors Daniella and Mirindra in writing a first aid curriculum has been recognized. It also gives more notoriety to our training and practicality in delivering training for trainers. Special thanks to Sandra!

Jacqueline, Mirindra & Daniella are super happy about the Certificate

Training opportunities

Allowing two journalists to take part in the free training for leaders in our neighborhood opened an exciting door for us. Two of our employees were able to conduct a live training session during the morning television program on the private TV channel TV Plus. People were able to call in during the program and ask questions. This was a great opportunity to spread the word about first aid.

In our day-to-day work, our reach extends to the south-east of Madagascar. Our teams have conducted trainings in Ifanadiana and Mananjary for the Scouts and the Youth Ministry.

A new partner, CT Motors Antananarivo, called us for training on the recommendation of a satisfied company. We became known on the internet, which led to another new partnership with Fairoils in Mananjary, a company that produces essential and vegetable oils.

The team of young trainers we trained last year in Toamasina (East Coast) is active. They worked with our team from Antananarivo to train three groups from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

A new turn in leadership

The time has come to write a new chapter in AiNA soa’s journey. My wife Ioly and I feel called to new projects, which means that we will end our time at AiNA soa at the end of 2024. The management of AiNA soa in Madagascar has now been entrusted to a capable younger team, consisting of Mirindra (new Director), Daniella (new Administrative Manager) and Jimmy (new HR & Finances). The investments made in the first ten years of AiNA soa provide a solid foundation for the years to come.

We are enormously grateful for this ten-year experience with a great team. We would especially like to express our deep gratitude to Nicole, the founder, Jacqueline, the current president, the board in Switzerland, the team in Madagascar and all the supporters who have placed their trust in us during this time. We are confident that this team can achieve even more than we have been able to.

We wish AiNA soa continued long and successful existence.

Have a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year 2024!

Laza (former director)

Ioly (former Administrative Manager & HR)