Lacoste Foundation, Caritas & Aquarelle team up to build a brighter future for the young people of Madagascar | Ciel Textile Website

According to recent statistics, 64% of the population in Madagascar is under 25 years old, and 70% of them don’t go beyond primary school because it is too expensive. This can make it hard for them to get good jobs when they grow up. Hence, the unemployment rate for young people (under 25 years old) is as high as 70%. This creates an unfortunate chain of reactions, where young people are unable to access quality education and, as a result, struggle to find meaningful employment opportunities. But there is hope! 

Free vocational training by Caritas Antsirabe 

This is where the Caritas Antsirabe training center comes in. The Akany Risika center provides free vocational training in 8 disciplines, including agro-food processing, tailoring, hospitality, hairdressing, and mechanics. The classes are 2 to 3 years long, during which the students are offered meals free of charge and paid for the production work they do while learning. This helps them gain both the skills and experience needed to secure a job or start their own business ventures, thus improving their livelihoods through better income. 

The previous promotion (2019-2021) has shown impressive results: 80% of the graduates found jobs and 6% started their own businesses. This proves the benefits of the training programs offered by Caritas Antsirabe, as well as the commitment of the young people to use the skills learned at the training center to improve their lives. 

AQUARELLE and Lacoste Foundation: Empowering Madagascar’s unemployed youth 

Thanks to the support of AQUARELLE and the Lacoste Foundation, the Risika training center has been able to expand its operations. They have hired 20 new teachers, allowing them to train an additional 90 students per year, bringing the total number of students from 140 to 250. With the financial support of the 2 companies, they have also constructed 9 new classrooms and renovated the mechanics and woodworking workshops.  

As a result, the Risika center has strengthened their ties with the local economy, ensuring that the training provided is aligned with the needs of local employers. This will help empower the young Malagasy people, allowing them to take control of their future and break the cycle of poverty and unemployment. By helping equip them with the skills and knowledge, AQUARELLE and the Lacoste Foundation are providing the young inhabitants of Antsirabe region the means to transform their own lives, as well as the lives of their families and communities. 

And that’s only the beginning! Stay tuned for more updates on this project! 

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