A Roman missionary, Father Stefano Scaringella is also a surgeon. In 1983, after a few years spent in Zaire as a doctor, he arrived in Madagascar to work in a leprosarium near Ambandja, a town of around 50,000 people in the northwest of the island. He quickly realized that people were dying of many other things besides leprosy. He therefore created the St-Damien medico-surgical center.

Very quickly, he found himself with children whose mother had died in childbirth. There too it was necessary to act, and he created the Children’s House, to accommodate children who have lost their mother. As in many African countries, the family is mainly based on mothers. Close families taking care of boys more easily, so it is mainly girls who are in the children’s home, where they receive board, lodging, care, schooling (including school fees) then higher and professional training in Antananarivo, and above all with a lot of love.

Here is something to raise the interest of the Hermann foundation, whose purpose is precisely to help the education and vocational training of girls and young women, to make them economically independent. The Hermann Foundation chose to finance sewing lessons for around twenty young girls (next course in December 2019).

News from Madagascar and the Children’s House

The island of Madagascar being almost totally cut off from the world since the travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the information available is incomplete. It is obvious that the victims are numerous in the areas with high population density.

However, through frequent telephone contact with Switzerland, it is known that the Children’s Home has been faced with an unusual influx of children. In addition, the daily budget per child has increased from 1€/day to 2.50€/day, due to supply difficulties, caused by the stopping of essential imports such as rice. For the moment, medical and school supplies are still waiting to be shipped to Madagascar.

In the capital city of Tananarive, the economic difficulties have led to an increase in street violence and robberies, and the Foyers des Jeunes Filles has been the victim of an armed attack, fortunately without serious injury or death. As a result, a professional guard system had to be financed.

Nevertheless, the girls are continuing their training and progressing well in their studies, despite the fact that school was intermittently interrupted during 2020 due to the pandemic.

Photos of the girls (with their latest work) as well as the entire group of the Foyer.