Social and Employment
Place
Ambatolampy, Madagascar
Sponsor
Danielle Pruneyrac
Grant
25,000 € to the Selection Committee at 2006/01/31
Project leader
Sacré-Coeur vocational training center in Ambatolampy
« Brother Romain, indefatigable, bursting with humor and enthusiasm, has devoted his life to Madagascar and to the creation of schools and medical structures. Barely having completed a project, he embarks on another, and musters all his knowledge and energy to see it through. »
Danielle Pruneyrac
Member of the Congrégation des Frères du Sacré-Cœur, Bruno Légaré, alias brother Romain, arrived in Madagascar 55 years ago. Headmaster of the junior high school of Tananarive, he devoted himself to the education of children, and particularly the children of seriously disadvantaged families. This passion has remained intact several decades later, and after having completed several initiatives.
In their latest project, the congregation and brother Romain have opened an orphanage, abutting the high school of Ambatolamby, for children aged 5 to 16, as well as a vocational training center for young single mothers in distress or for children beset by street problems: drugs and alcohol. This training center, which is unique in Madagascar, and is recognized by the National Education System, offers them a high school education, diplomas in carpentry, and workshops in dressmaking and the hotel trade professions. The orphanage can accommodate 100 children.
Handball and Martial Arts
Yet many youths there harbor tremendous suppressed violence, due particularly to the extremely tough living conditions they faced before being admitted. To help them recover a normal life, brother Romain plans to add a handball court and a martial arts room (a Dojo) to his orphanage. The practice of these sports, which demands a tremendous expenditure of energy and perfect self-control, is in fact ideal for channeling their violence in a creative way.
Having been solicited among other private donors, Veolia foundation decided to grant 25 000 euros to finance part of the construction of the new extension to the Sacré-Cœur orphanage. An indispensable act to help youths, simply furious with the raw deal they have hitherto received, return gradually to the path toward a … gentler … future.