Now 39, Fabrice grew up on the streets of Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. Teaching himself English to scratch a living from tourists, he eventually started a language school in the city to help other street kids. After saving enough money to buy land in the countryside, he had a simple plan to start a chicken farm.
But things changed when he saw children there spending their days swimming in the river. Finding out there was no school, Fabrice decided to build one himself and scrap the farm idea. He bought timber from local families whose livelihoods depended on selling wood. “I told them their children could have a better life than them,” he says. “It was an idea everybody really liked.”
Poremma found Fabrice through Katie, an Austrian woman who has lived in Madagascar for many years. She knew what we were looking for, and she was right. From the first meeting, he struck us as someone rare: a person who had already done the hard work before anyone showed up to help. He’d engaged the local community and kept the school running on their goodwill and his own savings. There was no outside funding, no big plan, just genuine compassion and stubbornness.
When we came onboard in 2024, there were 79 students. Fabrice wanted help to provide lunches, to keep the pupils attentive and engaged. We help cover daily meals (with food bought from local farmers and parents as volunteer cooks), a second teacher, and supplies. Attendance has now grown to 115 pupils. But the project, and everything that holds it together, including the strong community involvement, is all down to Fabrice. He’s an inspiration to all with his energy, vision and positivity.
