During 2021, Teneo supported a school build project with SEED Madagascar in the small village, Emagnevy.  The project included a 2-classroom build that included repairs to an existing building, teacher housing, a rainwater harvesting system, and carbon offsetting.  This would allow the 350 children and 10 teachers at the school to have a significantly increased learning space, with no need to share classrooms between year groups.

In May 2023, Teneo executives, Piers Carey, James Hall and Marc Sollars, were part of a Teneo and SEED Madagascar delegation that visited Emagnevy to see the school in operation.  They joined in some of the classroom lessons, walked a tour of the site and of course and enjoyed playing soccer with the students!

Besides the joy of seeing the school in operation, there were other impressive observations to note about this school build. The rainwater harvesting system can provide clean drinking water to the community for up to 2 months without needing to be replenished. Such a simple idea to combat drought conditions! Also, the carbon offsetting had a new and different angle to it. Fruit trees were planted behind the school to offset the carbon emitted in the build. These trees will also be a source of food and wood to the local community once established.

And most excitingly, the school is being used as a pilot site for a solar bank, where community members can hire solar powered lights that are cheaper, better for the environment and significantly safer than the oil lamps usually used.  It’s this holistic approach to making community-wide improvements that makes working with SEED Madagascar so rewarding.