Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Beandrarezona (Agenzia Fides) - Contributing to the formation of young people by offering them quality education that gives them equal opportunities with other young people in the cities, this is the objective of the school of the of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC) recently opened in Beandrarezona. "The school is an excellent tool for evangelization in many ways. Although many young people are not particularly interested in religion, the school allows them to discover the message of the Gospel and to reach their families", explains Father Jean Tuluba, IMC, of the Beandrarezona mission.
"After getting in touch with the local reality, we found that in Beandrarezona, which is the center of the mission, and in the other villages, there are private and public schools: nursery, primary and middle schools, but there are no secondary schools or high schools," he continues. Hence the need, after talking with local leaders and parents, to build a secondary school, because the young people of Beandrarezona and other neighboring villages are forced to leave their families after primary school to continue their studies in the city, which has a considerable economic impact on families, and as a result, many young people drop out of school to go work in the fields."
"Among the first 30 students, a good percentage come from other religious denominations. The school also becomes a means of dialogue with other religions through the education we give to their children, since from the beginning, these other denominations have trusted us by sending their children to study," the priest emphasizes. Thus, the school is not only an educational center, but also a meeting place for religious denominations. In addition, we have chosen to manage the school gradually, opening one class per year until the end of the three-year cycle. Indeed, the level of education of the students is very low. Opening one class per year will allow us to support the training of students and the continuing training of teachers.
The Consolata missionaries arrived in Madagascar on March 13, 2019 to work in the diocese of Ambanja, in the northwest of the Big Island. After a period of studying the Malagasy language, they began their pastoral service on October 20, 2019 in the new mission of Beandrarezona, created with the arrival of the first three missionaries, Fathers Jean Tuluba (DR Congo), Jared Makori (Kenya) and Kizito Mukalazi (Uganda).
“Our mission is the latest parish created in the diocese of Ambanja, in the northwest of the Big Island, and is located almost 1,000 kilometers from Antananarivo, the country’s capital,” explains Father Tuluba. It extends over three rural municipalities and has more than 80 villages, only 12 of which are home to Christian communities. The villages are very far from each other and the only possible means of transport to visit them is by motorbike, but in most cases, they can only be reached on foot. To reach some communities, we have to walk for up to 14 hours. It takes strength and determination to face the difficulties of the road. Of the 2,587,014 inhabitants (2022 census) of the diocese, only 7% of the population is Catholic, and in our mission, Catholics represent about 3% of the total of 21,170 inhabitants (2018 census). As you can see, this is indeed a mission ad gentes that needs our presence and attention,” notes the missionary.
The main activities of the mission are community visits, sacramental catechesis, formation of catechists, missionary and vocational animation, and formation of young people and children. The majority of the mission population is made up of young people and children. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of the population of Madagascar is made up of young people and children.
The school, whose work began in 2021 after the Covid-19 epidemic, was officially inaugurated and opened on September 2, 2024 with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by the diocesan bishop of Ambanja, Msgr. Francis Donatien Randriamalala, who blessed the building. Other priests, nuns, local administrative and political authorities, representatives of local religious denominations, Christians from the mission, friends and acquaintances took part in the celebration. Classes began the following day with 30 students. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 5/10/2024)
