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| PRE SCHOOLS IN ANTSIRABE | |
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Since 2011, AOM runs two preschools providing 140 of the neediest children (aged 2-6) with an education for the entire day which gives the parents a chance to spend the day earning money.
In addition, AOM provides lunch for the children so that the parents have one less mouth to feed for lunch and do not have to take time off work to collect their children, take them home, feed them and return them to school in the afternoon. This encourages the parents to make sure that their children attend school every day. In addition, this makes it easier for the children to concentrate during the lessons and they do not have a reason for not attending school, such as the need to forage for food on the street. The food is bought by Maholy, the project manager, and is then prepared at the AOM volunteer house by 3 individuals who work hard all morning to provide all students with an adequate meal that provides them with a good nutrition – for at least one of the meals they have per day. We hope to be able to do so this coming year too, despite the prices of basic food stuffs having gone up so much and there being more children at the preschools, which means that more food is needed to feed all of them. |
| LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO MALNUTRITION AND POVERTY | |
 The Pre Schools not only provide food for the kids, but work to eliminate the situations that led to their malnutrition. As funding allows, AOM provides job training for the children’s parents so they can better provide for their families. After 6 months of training on sewing machines, attending all classes and finishing a sewing test, mothers are able to get jobs in clothing factories or work in the market sewing. While the parents are attending classes, the children are in preschool, not only getting healthy lunches five days a week, but learning literacy skills. |
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 Now other women in our program are interested in their children attending preschool so that they can work without having to bring along a child. This allows them to make more money by being able to work farther away and also allows them to devote more attention to their work. In addition, the kids bring home literary skills for the entire family and the families know how important that is. Empowerment is making its way into the most forgotten corner of Madagascar! |
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| LUNCHES AND LITERACY PROGRAM | |
 AOM provides the pre-school age children of the mothers with 5 meals a week. We make sure that they get adequate nutrition for at least one meal a day. That means not only rice, but some yogurt and greens, whatever funding will provide. You should see how the outlook of these kids changes once hunger is no longer a constant worry. Now they are hungry to learn. While the parents are in job skills training or out working, the kids are going to pre-school and getting their grounding in literacy skills. Since many of the parents aren’t literate, the lessons they learn are brought home and help their parents become literate too. |
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| BUSINESS SET-UP | |
| AOM provides low cost business funds to families after they complete job training, or present a comprehensive plan for a business. We have awarded mothers hand crank sewing machines or sets of pots, and they have started their own small businesses. Several have made bricks to sell. These jobs are a good source of income for the family and mean the parents can provide not only food, but sometimes education for their families. Each successful business started means that the parents can not only keep their child well fed, but might allow them to be able to go to school. It also opens up room at Vonona for another starving child. | |
The mother pictured here has started a snack stand and now sends all her children to school. She understands the importance of education and her example is having a positive effect in her neighborhood. Other parents shown are making bricks and running sewing businesses, where before they tried to feed their families by selling plastic bags on the street, or some other equally impossible means of making a living. |
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| MICRO-LOANS FOR FAMILIES READY TO MAKE A LIVING WAGE | |
| This is a program that includes a sustainable component of re-paying the loan which we provide at low interest. This not only ensures that there will be money available for others but also helps with the concept of saving. The mothers will work together with a professional micro-credit officer experienced in working with disadvantaged women.
There will be more group support and financial instruction with this project, so that they will be well equipped mentally to sustain a business and repay a loan. At the start of the program, AOM will provide the salary of the coordinator until the program is stable enough to become self sustaining. |
| AOM | 13670 Lone Bear Rd. | Bozeman, Mt. 59715 | |