SEED Madagascar

At Beandry Primary School, a new classroom block has brought more than just space — it’s brought a sense of stability during a challenging time. Previously relying on two aging wooden classrooms, the school now has a strong, permanent structure thanks to support from SEED’s donors. When Cyclone Jude struck, the new building withstood the storm and offered shelter to families in need. For Head Teacher Mr. Joffrey, the impact is clear: student numbers have grown from 183 to 266, and the motivation among both staff and learners is rising. As the community recovers from crop loss and damaged homes, the school has become a foundation for hope — a clean, safe space where education can continue, no matter the challenges outside. Read on to see what Mr. Joffrey had to say...

Note: this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Lomba (SEED’s Head of Construction): We have come to the school today to have a discussion with you, and to get some information on the new school for the people who gave money and supported it. You now have this new infrastructure here. How has this had an impact?

Mr. Joffrey (Beandry Primary School’s Head Teacher): First of all, I apologise that I am the one standing in front of you, because I am not the parents, and I am not the oldest. But because it is my duty, I am here to stand in front of you, ladies and gentlemen.

I appreciate SEED, my colleagues, and the donors. I have been the Head Teacher at this school since 2015. Since then, there have been bad times and good times, but we have to accept the time that is given to us. Before, we just had the wooden school with two classrooms. Then, we sent a request to SEED for more classrooms, and our request was accepted. We now have this new building and I cannot thank you enough.

I am happy to have these new classrooms, because we have found success here. When I started as Head Teacher in 2015, I was on a half-paid government salary, and in 2023 I received a full government contract and salary, so this new school makes me happy. Not only that, my wife and I  have also had another child, so this building has brought much success to me. My result from the CAE exam (Note: a national teacher exam which awards them with an additional qualification and improves their contract) has given me even more motivation to provide an education to the students, so they can grow and learn, so this new building is helping us.

Thank you so much, even though some of my colleagues are not here, they thank you as well.

Lomba: Yes, we have heard you passed the exam.

Mr. Joffrey: For the teachers, some of us have passed the written exam, but we are still waiting for the oral exam results. Thank you so much, God will pay back to your spouse and your children, and especially the donors. This building has brought success.

Lomba: Can you tell us about the teachers, do they and the students enjoy the school?

Mr. Joffrey: One teacher was sent from the government on a short contract. Two teachers, including myself, are on full government contracts, and two others are on half-paid government contracts.

The students enjoy it, also because the World Food Programme has now provided us with food for our canteen, meaning we can give the students lunch for free.

Our student numbers were low before, but when we did new recruitment we have grown a lot. So now, we have 266 students and five teachers.

Lomba: What was the impact of Cyclone Jude?

Mr. Joffrey: In general, it has caused a lot of damage in the community. But at the school, thanks to God, the only thing damaged was the fence and canteen, but other than that everything is fine.

I told the community that if their houses have been damaged, they can stay at the school. Right now we are collecting the pieces of the broken fence so we can fix it.

Lomba: How about the wooden school?

Mr Joffrey: It also withstood the cyclone. But it is like humans, as we become older, we change.

Lomba: Did you know that the cyclone was coming?

Mr. Joffrey: I knew it was coming, but we were informed that it was supposed to happen on Friday, so we expected it then. I spoke to the solar franchisee before, saying we should cover and secure the solar panels because there will be a cyclone on Friday. So he helped me to do that and protect the solar panels, and then we waited. But it did not come then, it came Saturday afternoon.

Lomba: What about the community?

Mr. Joffrey: Not everyone heard, and those of us that were able to raise awareness were only able to do so very late. I don’t think the Village Leader heard the message, that’s the reason there was a lot of damage, because not everyone was prepared. The cyclone was very damaging to the Beandry community, especially in Jean Noel’s (Note: a member of SEED’s construction team who grew up in Beandry and whose family still lives there) compound, there are no houses left. I was offering to them that they can come and stay at the school for the moment, but they said they could fix everything, which is what they are doing now.

Lomba: You mentioned there is a belief that the cyclone will return?

Mr. Joffrey: Yes we heard this from the students, they asked me if the cyclone was coming back. I asked them if this is the reason that not all of the students have returned to classes yet, and they said yes. Also, when it rains a lot, there is no class because most of the students live on the other side of the river. The rain makes the water level rise and the current is dangerous, which makes people nervous to cross. People are still worried, as there are still many fallen trees and branches hanging everywhere. So not all of the parents are currently motivated to send their children to school, they say they worry that other weakened trees and branches will fall along the pathways, which could hurt them.

Lomba: What will be the impact on the community?

Mr. Joffrey: Everyone is very scared, especially because we heard that in Tsagnoriha (Note: a nearby community where SEED built a school in 2021) a very large zebu was killed in the cyclone (Note: zebu are extremely culturally symbolic, as well as financially valuable, in Anosy). The coffee plants and mandarin and lychee trees were also damaged. Even the crops that grow underground, cassava and sweet potato, were damaged. The previous cyclone was not this bad, only some of the crops in the field were damaged. But this caused damage within the community, to people’s houses, and then to all the crops as well. It is very sad for people's livelihoods, because in Beandry we farm mandarins, lychees, sugar cane, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and coffee. This has made people sad and worried, thinking how will we be able to get through this year? We just wait for God. As human beings, we just keep living. When you think deeper, you can’t find more truth.

Lomba: Will there be an impact on the students?

Mr. Joffrey: Yes, there will be an impact on the students. When there is no food, they are not as motivated to come to school. But we will continue to motivate them to come, running out of food will not stop us.

Lomba: After receiving the new classrooms, has the number of students increased?

Mr. Joffrey: Yes it has increased. Last school year we had 183 students, and now there are 266. We did house visits to let the parents know they should send their children to school, and thanks to the parents as they did not ignore this effort. This then motivated the children to come to school. A lot more students have come, and none have dropped out.

Life will bring its problems, this is the reality. Even me, I sometimes feel like I am having a hard time, but this is the place where I live and where I will stay. I appreciate it.

As you know, I am shy when you come to visit because I don’t have anything to give you in return. But because I have studied before and had training, I have learned the importance of cleanliness. When people say something I keep it in mind, especially about hygiene. I want to share this with everyone, because for me, I believe in maintaining a nice and clean place. This is the training we did recently: first I do, then you do, then we do together. We are working together to maintain this school and keep it clean. It is my honour, also. When the future generations remember, they will know who the Head Teacher was when we received this gift in our community.

I cannot pay back what you have done to us, but God will pay it back.

Support our work to improve education access in Madagascar here.