Projects
Below you will find planned and already realized projects of «Verein Nihaona» for «MadaClinics»
Current Project
A new school building for Maventibao
We would like to build a new school building in the village of Maventibao in collaboration with MadaClinics. The school currently consists of five buildings. Four of them are made of wood and sheet metal and are very unstable, only one is made of concrete. In January 2024, a cyclone blew the roof off one of the wooden school buildings and partially destroyed it. Meanwhile, the number of students has risen from 100 to 200 over the past five years, and there are still no toilet facilities at the school. A new concrete building is therefore to be constructed between January 2026 and August 2026. It will contain two new classrooms, a multimedia room, a staff room, toilet facilities, and sinks.
With the construction of the new school building, we are responding to increased demands due to a rise in student numbers, changing educational requirements (digitalization and a trend toward more students in secondary education), and an increase in natural disasters in Madagascar. The overarching goal is to create improved conditions for school education in the region, thereby enabling students to receive a good education and teachers to enjoy better working conditions.
2025
Ultrasound machine for Maventibao
In the Maventibao region in northwestern Madagascar, medical staff have only a limited range of technical diagnostic tools at their disposal. Together with the MadaClinics clinic, we wanted to improve this situation in a targeted manner—by using an ultrasound device for more precise examinations and providing sustainable training on site.
This gives local medical professionals the opportunity to make earlier and more accurate diagnoses. This summer, we conducted basic training on how to use the device; further local training courses will now follow to deepen knowledge and ensure the long-term benefits of the ultrasound device for the clinic.
This project would not have been possible without the support of many generous donations. Special thanks go to our gold sponsors: Martina and Dario Manta, as well as our bronze sponsors: Herreobe.
2024
Installation of a Solar System
Our project aimed to install sustainable solar energy for «MadaClinics». Previously, two solar panels, storage batteries and a wind turbine only enabled limited use of electrical devices. By installing a solar system, we wanted to ensure a reliable and sufficient power supply. Construction started in summer 2024 and was completed at the end of the same year.
With the previous power supply, mobile phones and laptops could be charged and the rooms illuminated. However, the clinic’s lamps were not bright enough and devices that require continuous power – such as fridges or beds – could only be operated during the day and not reliably. In future, «MadaClinics» will also need additional equipment for the laboratory and diagnostics (e.g. an ultrasound machine), which consume additional energy.
The CHF 16,000 required – which was raised through fundraising and an amount of CHF 11,000 approved by the Basel-Stadt cantonal government – was used for the materials and installation of a professional solar system. This will not only provide a stable energy supply for the clinic, but also for the school in Maventibao, which currently has hardly any electricity. For detailed information click here.
Update: November 2024
The solar system has now been completed and is ready for use! The associated technical building has been successfully built and the system is now ready to reliably supply the clinic in Maventibao with electricity. We are currently working on the final installation steps to put the solar system fully into operation
Update: December 2024
The final installation steps of the system have now also been completed and the solar system can be fully utilised. The clinic’s entire electrical infrastructure has been replaced in order to make the best possible use of the solar energy. All rooms in the clinic are now equipped with sufficient sockets and bright lamps and the beds can be adjusted electrically.
2023
Transport of Relief Supplies
With your help, we were able to make a major contribution to the interior fittings of «MadaClinics». Eric Voyame, an experienced and well-connected organizer of aid transports to Madagascar, contacted us after the «Madagaskar-Tag» in Münchenstein. He enquired which materials were currently needed at the clinic and whether we would be interested in transporting such materials in a container. After consulting with the director of «MadaClinics», we knew which materials were needed.
Eric was able to organize hospital beds, a stretcher, drawers, infusion stands and much more for «MadaClinics» – all free of charge! We are lucky to live in a rich country where hospitals provide older but still fully functional materials for such purposes. Thanks to the donations we were able to collect in 2022, we could afford the transportation in the container.
The transportation was originally planned for mid/end January. However, the materials were not sent until the end of February 2023, which had various advantages: the transportation within Madagascar no longer took place during the main rainy season, which would have caused many uncertainties and difficulties. We also had more time to prepare the transportation from the road up to Maventibao.
On April 5, 2023, the time had come: the freighter with our container arrived in Tamatave in eastern Madagascar. However, it then took an unusually long time for customs clearance to be completed. It was not until May 2, 2023 that the container could be transported by truck to the capital Antananarivo. From there, it took a few more days for «our» goods to arrive in Ambilobe.
Nono, director of «MadaClinics», had already prepared everything for the onward transport, again by truck, to Ambondromifehy. We waited with excitement to see how the heavy goods would be transported to the village of Maventibao using carts pulled by zebus. As you may remember, there is still no road leading from the nearest village on the main road to Maventibao. Everything has to be brought up by foot or with the help of zebus. Fortunately, everything worked out perfectly and the beds, stretcher, trolleys etc. arrived undamaged. Fardine, the nurse, was delighted. Such projects only work with your help.
2022
Donation of Material
Thanks to your generous support, Florentin was able to take equipment for MadaClinics with him on his trip to Madagascar. Thanks to your donations, MadaClinics now has an additional stethoscope, thermometer and blood pressure monitor, among other things. They now additionally have a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen saturation.
Monthly Support Contributions
Due to the Covid-19-related travel restrictions, no volunteers were able to travel to Madagascar for over two years (April 2022), which means that «MadaClinics» still has a lack of financial resources. Until summer 2021, the missing income could be covered by reserves of «MadaClinics» itself.
In discussion with the directors of «MadaClinics», we decided to help maintain the basic operation of «MadaClinics». We therefore made monthly contributions of CHF 250 to «MadaClinics» from August 2021 to June 2022.
