This academic year has seen growing collaboration between Franklin and Boky Mamiko, a Swiss/Italian NGO dedicated to quality education in Madagascar.
Boky Mamiko translates as "Books My Love." Co-founded by Franklin Professor Rossana Galli, Boky Mamiko supports education, employment creation, environmental protection, and health and nutrition in the rural Northwestern Diana Region of the country. Created by a group of researchers and students of the University of Zurich, the association also promotes development-oriented academic research in Madagascar.
Madagascar is the world’s fifth largest island, well-known internationally for its natural beauty and biodiversity. Despite its natural endowment, its population of about 28 million is one of the poorest in the world. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 75% of the population was estimated to live in extreme poverty. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic pushed even more people into poverty. In 2022, the poverty rate in the country reached a record high of 81% (World Bank).
Boky Mamiko has donated 1,800 books since its founding in 2018, creating libraries at five different schools. In 2022, 1,300 students attended a school financially supported by the association. Thirty high school students and four university students are currently recipients of Boky Mamiko scholarships. Boky Mamiko also funds salaries for thirteen teachers, one librarian, and two cooks. It has provided meals for 268 students at the remote Saint Laurent school in Beandrarezona, allowing them to attend school while their parents are away during the rainy season. Boky also works with the French NGO-funded school, Docenda, in Anjanojano, reachable only by boat, and with the locally founded lay school, Mamiko, in Djangoa, along with the Se.Ve.Ma science lyceum in Ambanja, the St. Joseph School in Maherivaratra, and the St. Giovanni XXIII school in Beramanja.
Thanks to a donation from NEOS Airlines during October 2022 Academic Travel on Sustainable Education in Madagascar, Boky Mamiko was also able to fund the construction of a student dormitory that now houses fourteen students at the Casa Pasquale shelter In Maherivaratra. During Academic Travel, Franklin students cataloged and delivered donated books, set up donated computers, and engaged in reciprocal learning exchange with students in four schools. Franklin students also contributed to a fundraiser event In Milan, Italy. The Academic Travel was featured among others that semester in the documentary produced by Franklin Adjunct Professor Elettra Fiumi.
Following up on the 2021 publication funded by Boky Mamiko of Ny volana 12 ao anatin’ny taona eto Madagasikara / Les 12 mois de l’année à Madagascar (The 12 Months of the Year in Madagascar) with the local publisher Mpariaka Boky, the association will also be able to propose a second book, also for use in schools in Madagascar, thanks to ideas from the academic travel assignment of Franklin students Kyle Weiss ('25) and Bridget Bilger ('25).
Relying on local school directors for decision making, hiring local trainers, buying locally published books, and publishing books locally not only supports the local economy and creates employment and income opportunities, but also reflects the fact that quality human capital is abundant in the country. Boky Mamiko interprets its role as one of facilitating local talent, as summarized by the #TheSouthAlsoKnows campaign launched by NORRAG – a global network for international policies and cooperation in education and training – aiming at reversing the North-to-South flow of expertise and decision making, and promoting knowledge equity.
In March 2023, Franklin hosted the association's first joint assembly of its two supporting foundations--Boky Mamiko Switzerland and Boky Mamiko Italia. Boky Mamiko is a totally volunteer organization, in which 98% of donations were spent directly in Madagascar in 2022. Vice President Andrew Starcher has joined Professor Galli on the board of Boky Mamiko Switzerland. In fall 2023, he will be teaching GLT 102 Introduction to Global Language Teaching while Professor Galli will again be leading the Academic Travel to Madagascar.
In addition to direct educational funding, Boky Mamiko promotes the use of energy-efficient cooking stoves by its partner schools and scholar students. These stoves, produced in Madagascar by the Swiss NGO Ades, consume up to 70% less charcoal, contributing to slowing down deforestation, which is largely linked to charcoal production. The association is also working with the Italian alternative energy leader, ERG, and global shipping firm, MSC , to install a turn-key solar energy island in Maherivaratra that will power the school, the shelter and provide for entrepreneur activities in the village. Boky Mamiko also finances two large school vegetable gardens. In fall 2023, Franklin Environmental Science major Skylar Tempel ('24) will be carrying out an internship with Boky Mamiko, which will include work on these and other projects.
In harmony with Franklin's vision for increased attention to the Global South, Boky Mamiko’s mission aligns with the United Nations’ #EducationCannotWait campaign and with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, in particular with SGD 4, which call for “ensur[ing] inclusive and equitable quality education and promot[ing] lifelong learning opportunities for all.” More specifically, the UN has defined its first target for SDG 4 as the ability “to ensure by 2030 that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.” Another target set for SDG 4 by the UN is to “substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers” by 2030. Furthermore, the UN looks to “substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries.” (target 4.B of SDG 4).
Madagascar scores very low in all education quality indicators. Only 6% of children achieve a minimum proficiency level in reading at the end of primary school. This is one of the lowest rates in the world, as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. Less than half of Malagasy children continue their studies after primary school, and only one in five children make it to the end of high school. Furthermore, only 15% of primary school teachers are trained teachers (UNESCO data for 2018). Moreover, these are national level average data, and the situation in rural Madagascar is certainly worse than in urban areas.
For these reasons, Boky Mamiko provides support to underprivileged schools and children in rural Madagascar, with the aim of improving the quality of their education and extending the number of years of school attendance, and hopes to continue on that mission in collaboration with Franklin in the years to come.