We've had a great back to school week (so far) at the new Sunrise Centre. Students, staff & parents are all super happy to be learning and teaching again. Cramped bus rides, parachute games & watching the world go by (swipe to see 1 school day condensed into 25 seconds✌️) #madagascar #nosybe #education #sunrise #charity #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

A little reel to help you understand our project in Guatemala a little better... Looking to the future, we'd love to expand this project into other communities around Lake Atitlan, and eventually, support more areas where there are indigenous Guatemalan people. #guatemala #atitlan #education #nonprofit #teacher #languages #socialissues #labcharity

Could you handle a class of 77 students?

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PARTY AT THE SUNRISE CENTRE! WE'RE SO THANKFUL TO ALL INVOLVED IN HELPING US TO CREATE THIS NEW SPACE - THE ONLY ONE OF IT'S KIND IN NOSY BE! SEND US A DM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK!

When you see any NGO or nonprofit providing education, you should always ask the following questions: • What programs are they providing? • Is their education relevant to the students? • Who is delivering the classes? For us at L.A.B, we provide free education to out of school children in both Guatemala & Madagascar. Our team of local teachers & professional volunteers provide the education, and our programs are always co-designed alongside local teachers. If you have any questions about our work, feel free to ask them below 👇 #labcharity #education #teacher #madagascar #nosybe #guatemala

WE DID IT! Since 2017, we've been on a mission to create the first facility to support people with disabilities on the island of Nosy Be, Madagascar. Last year, we found a rented facility, and began working, but we faced some challenges... 💦 We had no running water after the landlord refused to replace a water pump, leaving us to transport around 100L of water per day by hand. ♿🚫 The previous centre was inaccessible, as it was not made with people with disabilities in mind, it was originally built as an agricultural school. 💰 Despite not providing water, the previous landlord still demanded more than €250 per month in rental fees, leading to a stalemate between us. Knowing that the previous facility wasn't a sustainable option, we set out to buy our own land and build our own facility... In March, we were lucky to have the support of Martin S, who purchased 1642m² of land in our name. Here we would build the new Sunrise Centre. Then, we received grant funding of £23,000 from Jacob's Well Charitable Trust, to be used entirely for the construction of the new facility. Months of hard work from our construction team lead to yesterday, when we held the official inauguration for the new Sunrise Centre - Which has plenty of water access, is accessible and is 100% off grid, meaning no monthly fees. Thank you to everybody who has made yesterday a reality, and we urge you to continue supporting our mission as we look to bring a brighter future to people with disabilities across Madagascar. 🌞 🇲🇬 #nosybe #madagascar #education #disability #seneducation #teacher #newschool #nonprofit #charity #labcharity

At L.A.B, we're happy to be a global organisation, making an impact in many different countries for those who need it most. In our 7 years of operation, we've worked with thousands of people in need across the world, providing free education and sports programs. And we've been supported by thousands of people from across the world. Thank you to you all ✌️ #madagascar #guatemala #education #sport #nonprofitorganisation #makeadifference #labcharity

FINALLY! 🌞 With the opening of the new Sunrise Centre, we'll have great capacity to support as many people with disabilities as possible in Nosy Be. Being one of the first centres of its kind in Madagascar, we aim for he Sunrise Centre to serve as a model on how to create sustainable change for people with disabilities across the country. We're super excited to share the next steps with you ✌️ #Madagascar #nosybe #disability #disabilityawareness #specialneeds #nonprofit #labcharity

We can't believe its October already! As we're in the final quarter of the year, it's good to reflect on how far we've come this year! And we've got so much more to come before 2025! Thanks for all your support ✌️ #October #education #guatemala #Madagascar #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

One of the main aims of L.A.B as an organisation is to bring free education to those who have more options otherwise... Through the Sunrise Centre, we've solved this issue for children with disabilities in Nosy Be. But there are still many children who don't attend school, what about them? Our Ny Fianarantsika project works to support them! In gravel mines and rural communities across Nosy Be, our teachers bring free regular education to children who don't attend school. Sometimes, we rent a pre-existing facility (restaurant, community space etc) and in other cases, we build small, simple classrooms to host the lessons. Right now, we've built 2 classrooms, and we're about to make a 3rd. The mew one will be made using all reclaimed materials! This concept for educating out of school children also applies to our Escuelita Rixiin Ya project in Guatemala. Given the success we've had, we believe this model of work could be replicated to support out of school children across the entire world. #labcharity #nonprofit #school #education #childlabour #ambition #Madagascar #guatemala #solutions

We're so happy with the recent reviews of our Escuelita Rixiin Ya' project in Guatemala. Thank you to all those from CTEA in New York who helped to make the visit a success 🙌 If you're interested in learning more about this project, then please get in touch. #guatemala #atitlan #lakeatitlan #education #Escuelita #labcharity

Our Tsareee! social enterprise is now up and running with our first full-time vendors selling soap across Nosy Be. It's not all smooth sailing, but every day, the vendors are learning to improve their skills and become more independent. To cover the costs of creating their businesses, we're looking for sponsors to cover 1 year of business expenses. Then, all the funds raised from selling will be used to help support the Sunrise Centre Malagasy adults with disabilities supporting Malagasy children with disabilities 🌀🇲🇬 #madagascar #disability #enterprise #business #education #nosybe #nonprofit #labcharity

Yesterday, we got to see first-hand the progress made at the new Sunrise Centre! Safe to say, we're super impressed with how everything is taking shape. We've spent over 50% of our total available funding for the new build, and we're on track to be finished by the end of this month. Although we'll be open, we'll still have the finishing touches to do, but this will be done by students, parents, teachers, and volunteers together. Super excited to share this with you! Our biggest project to date! #madagascar #nosybe #disability #awareness #socialissues #education #school #september #nonprofit #labcharity

Seeing these children & their working/living conditions was the spark that started our Ny Fianarantsika program. After conducting a survey at one of Nosy Be's largest gravel mines, we found 58 children who were working there alongside their families. None of these children went to school. So, we created a program to educate them. As they were of mixed age and all at the same ability, simply enrolling these children into a local school would not be suitable. A huge percentage would drop out... So, we hired 2 local teachers to visit these mines 2 times a week - building a trusting relationship with the students and their parents, and bringing them a free education, which focuses mainly on literacy and numeracy. Over time, this project has now expanded, where we now have 4 teachers, working in 2 rock mines and 3 rural communities. For the classroom spaces, we either hire a suitable location in the area, or we build our own makeshift classrooms. We believe that this concept of regular & consistent support for out-of-school children is an effective model, which can be replicated in other parts of Madagascar and other nations in need across the world. #education #nonprofit #childlabour #socialissues #madagascar #labcharity

We're getting even closer to opening the new Sunrise Centre! We've spent around 41% of our overall budget, and our construction team has made so much progress! In the space of 1 month, here's what they've already achieved: 🏗 Land flattened and soil relocated to extend our accessible space 💦 2 water wells dug 🧱 Foundations layed & initial walls are coming up We're on track for our opening in September 2024, with the official inauguration due to take place in late October! We hope to see you there 🤞 #madagascar #nosybe #education #disability #school #construction #nonprofit #labcharity

We're restarting our school partnership program! Through this program, we help to connect students across the world through pen-pal exchanges & workshops. We also give your students the opportunity to work closely with us as ambassadors, making decisions on the way LAB works! If you're interested, then get in touch ✌️ #schoolholidays #school #teacher #teachertraining #schoolideas #education

We're so happy to see the progress being made through our Escuelita Rixiin Ya' project. We've seen huge improvements in the academic skills of students since starting this project 6 months ago... Literacy rates in both Tz'utujil and Spanish have greatly improved, and so have numeracy skills too. The Escuelita Project is currently active in 2 communities around the town of Santiago on Lake Atitlan - Here, we work to find an appropriate community space to deliver fun, free and informal education to the local children who need it. Alongside the education, we also aim to do other fun activities, such as sports, arts, music, gardening and more. As always, a huge thanks to our local teacher Mariano, working tirelessly every week to ensure that these students can make progress in a healthy learning environment! #guatemala #education #literacy #atitlan #lakeatitlan #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

One of our priorities at LAB is supporting children across the world who don't go to school... And across the world, there's an estimated 250 million of them. So, rather than looking to enrol these children into schools, which can often be problematic, we've created a program where out-of-school children can learn for free. We're currently delivering these programs across Madagascar and Guatemala, and we'd love to expand in the future, too! We've got some cool ideas in the pipeline, and we'll share them with you soon! ✌️ #nonprofit #education #school #poverty #Madagascar #guatemala #teacher #labcharity

If you didn't already know... We're currently building a new Sunrise Centre! After moving out of our previous facility, we're now on a mission to create Nosy Be's first purpose-built facility for people with disabilities. Although we loved the original Sunrise Centre, there were many issues that were out of our control, and as we were only renting the facility, there was nothing we could do about it. But with the new Sunrise centre, it's 100% ours, and will remain that way forever! Swipe 👉 to see what the centre will include. #nosybe #Madagascar #education #specialeducation #disabilityawareness #nonprofit #labcharity

The stories of Brigitte and Angenie are unfortunately common in Madagascar... Both of them were born without physical disabilities, but through accident & sickness, they both lost a lot of movement in the lower body and are now unable to move unassisted. Finding work in Madagascar is difficult for many people, and although rates of employment are rising, people with disabilities remain forgotten... But through 'Tsareee!' Our new social enterprise, we're creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Madagascar. In the next week, we're launching 2 small shops for people with disabilities - selling products from the Sunrise Centre shop and elsewhere arcoss Nosy Be in some of the island's main hot-spots. Each worker has a guaranteed daily rate with commission possible, too! All other profits made will further the mission of LAB in Madagascar - Bringing permanent and sustainable change for people with disabilities and children who don't go to school. #Madagascar #nosybe #story #streetstories #disability #work #nonprofitorganization #nonprofit #charity #labcharity

Last week, our Sunrise Centre students took a trip to @lemurialand_nosybe & we had a great experience! After recently focusing on animals as a topic of learning, it was great for students to be able to see some animals they had never seen before. That's the whole point of our excursion program - To allow our students to see the beauty of Madagascar, which, in many cases, is just reserved for tourists. Before the Sunrise Centre, many of their students had spent the majority of their lives at home, so we're making up for lost time too. #Madagascar #nosybe #lemur #specialeducation #tortoise #crocodile #nonprofitorganization #nonprofit #charity

Our Sunrise Centre is located on an island off Madagascar's North West coast, so we understand that we may not be in the most equipment-friendly place in the world... But that doesn't mean our students don't deserve the best! Our platform may not be huge, but if the right people see this, we could make miracles happen. Please share this post, and feel free to send us a DM anytime! #Madagascar #nosybe #disability #accessibility #inclusion #physicaltherapy #labcharity

Thanks to @dreamlandsanctuary, we can ensure that our Escuelita students can learn in a beautiful outdoor environment. And the learning doesn't stop in the classroom space. We also work with the Sanctuary to give our students the chance to take part in permaculture and other outdoor activities. Now, the best part about this project is that we deliver almost everything in the local Tz'utujil language, helping to promote literacy and numeracy for these children, many of whom don't go to full-time school. Before beginning this project, literacy rates amongst students were around 25% in Tz'utujil. Soon, we'll be doing some tests to demonstrate the progress they have all made. Fundraiser also coming soon! Check our page regularly for more updates! #Guatemala #centroamerica #education #atitlan #education #permaculture #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Before opening the Sunrise Centre, we realised something... Due to no schools or support facilities being available, many parents were not able to search for work. Instead, they needed to stay at home to support their child. With no work, no support programs & no income, many families of those with disabilities were living in worse conditions than other members in their communities. When the Sunrise Centre opened, we wanted to solve this... So, we decided to give all parents the opportunity to work at the centre. To earn a daily salary for providing student care, preparing daily meals, and helping to keep the centre running smoothly. At the same time, they could see how we provided education to students and repeat at home when necessary! But this was also helpful for the centre too... Nobody knows the student better than their parent, this helped everyone feel more at ease when we first got started. Also, with parents working at the centre, everyone is on the same page, and it often feels like a big family. The Sunrise Centre and all of the other projects we run are 100% funded by donations! Thank you to all of our donors who keep this project alive. And if you're looking to donate to the Sunrise Centre, reach out to us or check the link in bio. #Madagascar #nosybe #madagascar🇲🇬 #nosyiranja #education #disabilityawareness #seneducation #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Accountability and transparency are key in the non-profit world! That's why we're publishing these numbers out in the open, for you all to see. 95% of our funding was used on projects over the last year. The more funding we receive, the more we can support people across the world going forward. This year, our priorities are the following: • Build a new Sunrise centre - The first permanent facility for people with disabilities in Nosy Be. • Expand our Ny Fianarantsika program - Bringing free education to hundreds of out-of-school children across Madagascar. • Make our Escuelita Rixiin Ya' project permanent - As we launch our fundraiser, we aim to ensure we can continue supporting children in Guatemala. If you have any questions about the work we're doing, or if you want to know anything specific about L.A.B, then please do send us a message. www.labcharity.org #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #charity #accountability #development #education #Kenya #Guatemala #lakeatitlan #madagascar #nosybe #labcharity

The idea for our Sunrise Centre began in 2017, when our team met a young child with a disability on the street with his parents. After a short conversation, we learned that the child had NO facilities of support... - No education - No welfare / family support - No job prospects - No hope for a brighter future. Upon learning about this, the entire misson of LAB became centred around creating the first centre for the support and education of people with disabilities in Nosy Be, Madagascar. Fast forward to March 2023, and we finally opened the Sunrise Centre, and the mission of LAB morphed again. Now, our mission is to change perceptions towards people with disabilities in Madagascar, starting with the Sunrise Centre in Nosy Be. At the Sunrise Centre, we work as follows: - We run according to school hours and focus mainly on education, play, and practical life skills. - We employ at least 1 family member of each student so that they earn a guaranteed income each month. - We transition older students into our social enterprise, where adults with disabilities work unique jobs. And so far, all that we've done has been a great success. We believe starting with the Sunrise Centre in Nosy Be, and one day expanding further across Madagascar, that one day we will change perceptions towards people with disabilities across Madagascar. #labcharity #Madagascar #reels #education #teachersofinstagram #nonprofitorganization #reel #makeachange

A new initiative that we're launching at the Sunrise Centre - The communication book! Inspired by our student, Scofild, who is hard of hearing, we want to help improve his communication with staff, other students, and visitors to the centre. As a gifted artist, he will be doing all of the illustrations in the book, which will be used as a teaching resource to help all students improve their communication. Across Madagascar, there are very few organisations supporting people with disabilities, and therefore, resources for teaching sign language are very limited... With this book, we'll be taking a step in the right direction of improving communication for people with disabilities in Madagascar! #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofit #disabilityawareness #signlanguage #sign #slp #communication #therapy #education #labcharity

Thank you to everybody who has recently committed to supporting LAB! We've put 100% of these funds towards a specific purpose, on either our Sunrise Project in Madagascar or our Escuelita project in Guatemala. With the more education and sports work that we deliver, the higher our overall costs become, and more funding is then needed to keep supporting people in need. That's why our donors are all so amazing! Thank you for making this work possible! Interested in donating? Send us a DM anytime to see how it could be used! #nonprofitorganization #charity #goodwill #goodcause #feelgood #accountability #Guatemala #madagascar #education #labcharity

NY FIANARANTSIKA = OUR EDUCATION. We initially created this project last year after noticing a huge number of children who didn't attend school, working in a rock mine near the town of Dar Es Salaam. Little by little, we've been expanding this project into new locations, supporting more children who, otherwise, would be uneducated. Rather than enrolling these children into schools, our teachers instead go directly to these locations and create a makeshift classroom, where they can deliver free, basic classes across different subjects. Coming very soon - Our initial inscription and then our forthcoming work in this new mine, in Orangea, Northern Nosy Be. #education #nonprofitorganization #project #madagascar #nosybe #childlabour #socialissues #teachersofinstagram #labcharity

We're all so happy that our project in Guatemala is continuing to improve the academic skills of students whilst offering them new opportunities, too! Through the Escuelita Rixiin Ya' project, we are really focusing on supporting children in villages around Santiago Atitlan to improve their Tz'utujil language skills, to be able to read and write and take part in holistic opportunities too. Soon, we're launching our fundraising campaign. Through this, we aim to get 3000GTQ in monthly funding to ensure the continuity of the project. If you're interested in this project, then send a message or leave a comment! #Guatemala #atitlan #escuela #education #nonprofit #culture #mayan #tzutuijl #labcharity

We have recently welcomed 4 occupational therapy students, 1 qualified occupational therapist, and 1 physiotherapist from the University of Toronto to Nosy Be, Madagascar. 🇨🇦🌎🇲🇬 During their placements, they will be working primarily in our Sunrise Centre, supporting between 20 and 30 of our students with disabilities. As the Sunrise Centre is Nosy Be's only facility to support people with disabilities from Nosy Be, this exchange of knowledge is super important for LAB, helping all of our staff to be able to better educate, support and care for the students. Thank you to all involved in this partnership ✌️ #Madagascar #nosybe #labcharity #uoft #occupationaltherapy #physiotherapy #therapy #disabilitysupport #nonprofit #universityplacements #universityplacement

Swipe 👉 to see the best photos from today! As part of our monthly excursion program at the Sunrise Centre, today we went for a horse riding experience provided by Ambaro Ranch. All of the students with us experienced horse riding today, regardless of their abilities or mobility, we managed to get all students on a horse or chariot! Supported by staff of the ranch and occupational therapy placement students from @uoft , the excursion went through rice fields and finished at the beach... just in time for high tide. 🌊 For most of these students, this was their first time seeing a horse in person. Imagine how they felt when they were told they were going to be riding these animals through the Nosy Be countryside. But they all did it. Now, we're wondering what our next excursion will be... #nosybe #nosybeisland #madagascar #horse #horseriding #schooltrip #disabilityawareness #nonprofitorganization #charity #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Just under 15% or the annual budget for our Madagascar project is spent on student transportation... 24,000,000MGA is our annual costs for student and staff transportation to and from the Sunrise Centre & Ny Fianarantsika program. (Swipe to see this number in £/$/€) We have figured out some solutions to reduce this number to almost zero... but of course, that would require some extra funding for L.A.B, funding which will be raised specifically for this cause! As #taxseason is approaching, we're hoping we might get lucky and one UK business may see this post and choose to make a donation to L.A.B to offset some of their taxes, whilst also keeping students attending only education faciluty available for them on the island. In the meantime, we'll be searching and applying for grants to find a solution to this ongoing issue. Please share this post and help to get the word out there, we really want to reduce these costs ASAP!! #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofit #taxdeductions #ukbusiness #transport #disabilitysupport

It's almost 3 months since we started our Escuelita project in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala! In early January 2024, we conducted surveys 2 in communities around Santiago - Chacaya and Chukumuk. Through these surveys, we found that there was a great need for a project here, a project that reinforces the education of the students, whilst also placing importance on cultural activities, particularly those surrounding the Tz'utujil language. Soon, we're conducting tests to show the progress of our students since the project began. We hope these results will enable us to make this project permanent! Currently, we have funding to support this project for another 2 months, but we're looking for support to keep it going. Each month, we require 3000Gtq ($385) to keep this project going! Swipe 👉 to see how we plan to raise this funding and how you can support us! #Guatemala #atitlan #semanasanta #education #languagelearning #culturalexchange #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

This year, we're adding another branch to our Sunrise Project in Madagascar... We're creating a social enterprise, and it's named 'Tsareee!' (The catchphrase of the Sunrise Centre) Through this social enterprise, we'll be providing opportunities for adults with disabilities to work for themselves, where they can run small businesses that are adapted to their needs and abilities. 'Tsareee!' will create a range of small businesses for people with disabilities and their families, allowing them to have creative control of their work and a guaranteed income too. After daily salaries, all profits generated by 'Tsareee!' will be 100% used to bring further support for people with disabilities, funding our Sunrise Centre. If you'd like to get involved in this project then let us know - Always happy to answer any questions you have! *Faces blurred as we forgot to ask their permission to use these photos on social media* #madagascar #business #socialenterprise #socialbusiness #nonprofitorganization #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #labcharity

2024 is due to be a huge year for us at the Sunrise Centre! Swipe 👉 to see the 4 biggest upcoming highlights of our year. In all honesty, the final slide is the biggest frustration for us at the Sunrise Centre currently, and we can't wait to resolve it finally! #education #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Across Nosy Be, there are hundreds of children who miss out on their right to an education... Some of these children are born into situations of extreme poverty, whereas others are born into rural communities where there is little access to schools. So, our team of teachers make weekly visits to these areas to deliver a free education program that focuses on: ● Reading (French / Malagasy) ● Writing (French / Malagasy) ● Understanding numbers ● Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division ● Colours, shapes, and siz ● Stories, sports, and arts ● About me and the world Send us a DM and ask us anything about this project. #nosybe #madagascar #education #womensday #nonprofit

Swipe 👉 to hear what Tz'utujil sounds like... Its nothing like Spanish. It's an ancient Mayan language still commonly spoken today. Through our Escuelita Rixiin Ya" project, we're aiming to try to preserve this language. Want to know more? Comment or send us a DM!

Our students ❤️ playing with Lego! For both play and education activities, Lego is a great tool for learning and developing motor skills. But unfortunately, here in Madagascar, Lego is almost impossible to find... And anywhere we do see it, the price is often 5X higher than it would be elsewhere. So, we're asking for your help 👇 ● If you have any old Lego to donate, please contact us, and we'll try and find a way to get it to Madagascar. ● Help us to reach the official @lego accounts on Instagram by tagging them in the comments. @legoeducation @legosouthafrica @legofrance_official #lego #legoeducation #learnthroughplay #madagascar #donation #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Last year, we were lucky to be visited by @holalenita who captured some amazing shots of our work & the landscapes around Nosy Be, Madagascar. Capturing these hugh quality images is so important for us at L.A.B. They help us to convey the work we're doing on our projects much better than the standard phone photos that you see too often. With these images, we can help to better convey our story to supporters across the world, helping to grow L.A.B and allow us to deliver more projects. X2 short documentaries coming soon too! #photography #presets #madagascar #nonprofit #nosybe #charity #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

When we conducted initial surveys for this project, we found that only 25% of students had any literacy skills in Tz'utujil, despite this being their first language. In addition to this, less than 50% of the children surveyed could write their own name, and the same percentage had very little literacy skills in Spanish. Seeing the need for basic educational reinforcement and the need to preserve the literacy of the Tz'utujil language, our "Escuelita Rixiin Ya'" project was born. Through this project, our local teacher, Mariano, works in 2 communities around the town of Santiago on Lake Atitlan, bringing free education across basic skills whilst also giving students the opportunity to take part in other holistic and cultural activities. As of April 2024, our fundraising campaign for this project will officially begin, where we'll seek to raise a monthly total of 3000GTQ (£300 GBP APPROX) to continue this project. Interested in knowing more? Send us a message or leave a comment! #Guatemala #Atitlan #lakeatitlan #lagodeatitlan #mayan #languagelearning #language #indigenous #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

In the Sunrise Centre, we have created a model of learning and support for people with disabilities. Going forward, we aim to replicate this across Madagascar. We've also created a platform for employment for adults with disabilities - Our social enterprise 'Tsareee' will help to generate funds to maintain our support for people with disabilities. One day, we would love to be supporting people with disabilities across the entirety of Madagascar, working with a range of communities and families to ensure the best outcomes for all. #madagascar #disabilities #education #SEN #disabilityawareness #specialneeds #specialeducation #nonprofitorganization #charity #labcharity

Since L.A.B gained registration in 2017, our main aim has always been to provide educational opportunities across the world. It is only within the last 2 years that we have found our niche - creating informal education systems for children who don't go to school. Our unique model is now up and running full-time in both Madagascar and Guatemala, with 2 projects following the same model. Swipe 👉 to learn more about this model. Interested in using this model to support children in your community? DM us for advice! #education #socialissues #socialwork #madagascar #Guatemala #teachers #teachersofinstagram #nonprofit #labcharity

One of the most unique things about the Sunrise Centre is that we have employed all of the parents of our students. 🌞 🇲🇬 Why have we done this? 5 reasons below 👇 - Because no previous facilities existed for people with disabilities, it was impossible to find experienced workers... It turns out that nobody is more experienced than the parents themselves. - Before the Sunrise Centre, most parents had to spend all day at home caring for their children and became very disadvantaged due to this, so we wanted to give them some meaningful employment with a good wage. - We aspire to be more like a family than like a school. We don't want the school/teacher separation. We want to be all together, learning from each other, and sharing experiences and knowledge. - By doing this, students feel more comfortable and happier being at the centre, which means they learn better. Parents are also more comfortable sending their child to the centre with us. - Doing this ensures 100% satisfaction. We know what the parents want from their students, and we can implement it each day, with the parents there to guide us as needed. #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofitorganization #specialneeds #disabilityawareness #seneducation #senco #charity #labcharity

As the Escuelita project continues, we want to offer more holistic learning opportunities for our students. This will include arts, sports, dance/movement, and outdoor activities. Now, we're focusing on gardening, where students will be planting seeds and nurturing them as they grow. The purpose of this Escuelita project is to ensure that children in rural villages have access to a consistent, professional, and fun education, where they can learn essential academic skills and take part in other opportunities too. #Guatemala #atitlan #holistic #education #outdoorlearning #labcharity

2024 is going to be huge! We can now confirm that we have received funding to buy land and build our own Sunrise Centre in Nosy Be! Swipe 👉 to see the issues with the current facility and why the new one will be much better. *EDIT* Another issue with the current facility that we forgot to mention - It's expensive. This costs us 1,300,000 MGA ($286USD) per month just to rent it... When we have the new centre, we will have this money extra each month, giving us the opportunity to employ more teachers and support more students. #madagascar #nosybe #news #education #seneducation #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #nonprofit #labcharity

Swipe 👉 to see the free education projects we provide in Madagascar and Guatemala. At L.A.B, we believe that education is the biggest key to creating a brighter world. Everything we provide is 100% for free, and always will be! #internationaldayofeducation #educationday #education #madagascar #Guatemala

We're so happy that our new project is up and running! 🌞 Through this project, we aim to improve the basic educational skills of children in rural villages around Santiago Atitlan. We have a strong focus on teaching the students in Tz'utujil - an ancient Mayan language spoken around Santiago... Everybody speaks this language, but only very few can read and write in Tz'utujil. Through this project, we aim to change that! On top of this, we will also provide a range of holistic opportunities for students rolling, such as sports, gardening, arts, and days out! The full name of the project: Escuelita Rixiin Ya' (Little school on the lake in Spanish / Tz'utujil) #lakeatitlan #lagodeatitlan #Guatemala #education #educacion #nonprofit #labcharity

For our Escuelita project, we surveyed 56 local children in the communities of Chacaya and Chukmuk, which lie on the outskirts of Santiago Atitlan. Despite over 90% of them being enrolled into schools, only 48% of them could write their names. And despite 100% of them speaking the Mayan language of Tz'utujil, only 25% of them could read more than 5 words and write more than 3 words. What does this suggest? That the public education system in Gautemala is 💩 Our Escuelita project will help to combat these low rates of literacy. Our local teacher will visit these communities 2 times a week to bring free education across a range of subjects, with a strong focus on Tz'utujil - Ensuring that this mayan language is preserved. ALSO... The escuelita will focus on holistic learning, too, with sports, arts, gardening, and music activities all included in the curriculum. The first class begins tomorrow morning! #Guatemala #atitlan #education #educacion #tzutuijl #literacy #labcharity #lakeatitlan

Escuelita Rixiin ya' = Little school on the lake We're starting this project to support the children of communities in and around Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala. Working with our local teacher, Mariano, we will be delivering free education to these children, many of whom have never received adequate schooling. We will be helping them to learn basic educational skills whilst also re-enforcing their knowledge of Tz'utujil, the ancient mayan language spoken in Santiago. In recent surveys we conducted, we found that: • Less than 50% of children could write their names • More than 60% of children could read less than 5 words in Tz'utujil. • 0% of children could count 1 - 20 in Tz'utujil. • 47% of children could read less than 5 words in Spanish. • 42% of children couldn't write 10 words in Spanish. Through this project, we aim to improve these stats! Work begins in the next 2 weeks! Stay tuned ✌️ 🇬🇹 🌞 #Guatemala #makeadifference #lakeatitlan #education #centroamerica #tzutuijl #mayan #labcharity

Ny Fianarantsika is our unique program in Nosy Be, Madagascar, which aims to support out-of-school children across the island. Rather than enrolling the students into school, which may be problematic as they are many years behind their peers, instead we bring the schooling to them. Our 2 teachers, Faiza and Ridhoany, both visit the 2 key locations on a weekly basis and deliver a unique education program where students can learn basic yet essential educational skills. Swipe 👉 to see their results! In 2024, this project is also expanding into the communities of Djabala & Djabalahonko, as well as another small rock mine in Ampasindava. #madagascar #nosybe #education #childlabour #rural #nonprofit #labcharity

At the Sunrise Centre, Kevinot was a great member of our family, and we will forever miss him. We will miss how he helped the younger students across the centre and acted as the zoky (big sibling) to all of them. We will miss how he tried so hard to make progress with his writing and number work and how he soon became one of the best in the class. We will miss our favourite goalkeeper at lunchtime football. We will miss you telling us about your ambitions for when you began work. How you wanted to buy a phone, a radio, earphones and more. How we were so close to creating your small business before you became ill. We will miss your always positive attitude. How you helped grandma to collect firewood from the forest, how you would always help out in the garden, how you loved to learn new skills. We all all miss you so much Kevinot, thanks for the memories! #madagascar #nosybe #education #bereavement #seneducation #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #nonprofit #labcharity

If you're a qualified professional or a student in training and you wish to get away in 2024, then Madagascar may be the ideal destination for you! At L.A.B, we're looking for skilled volunteers to join us in paradise and support ongoing work on one of our multiple programs: • The Sunrise Centre: Nosy Be's first facility for the support and education of people with disabilities. • Ny Fianarantsika: A free education program for children who are out of school across Nosy Be, primarily those involved in child labour. • Sports Club Nosy Be: A weekly free sports club for local children to practise a range of sports in a sage environment. • Tsareee! Social Enterprise: A unique enterprise created to allow greater working opportunities for people with disabilities across Madagascar. If you think that you have any relevant skills to share with us, then get in touch! We are NOT a voluntourism organisation, and we will NOT make a profit from your generosity! (Check out the volunteering costs for other organisations in Nosy Be for a real shock 😲) Have a great Christmas, and we hope to see you in 2024! #Madagascar #nosybe #volunteer #volunteering #disabilityawareness #seneducation #teachabroad #travel2024 #labcharity

2023 has been our best year yet! Our achievements this year include: • Opening the Sunrise Centre - The only centre for the education of people with disabilities in Nosy Be, Madagascar • Kickstarting the Ny Fianarantsika program - An initiative to support out-of-school children across Madagascar, primarily those involved in child labour. • Partnering with 2 international universities - Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, UK and the Univerisry of Toronto, Canada. • Returning to Kenya - In May, we heard rumours of a story about the abuse of street children at the hands of Kenyan authorities. So, we went to investigate. • Multiple excursions - We've taken our students from the Sunrise Centre on multiple excursions, including whale shark watching and a trio on a glass-floor boat. • Creating a social enterprise - We recently created 'Tsareee!' our social enterprise aimed at improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Madagascar. From the bottom of our hearts, we wish to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported us and made 2023 special! As for 2024, we're starting strong in Gautemala, launching our Escuelita project in Santiago de Atitlan. More info coming soon! #2023 #highlights #education #achievements #nonprofit #charity #nonprofitorganization #makeachange #labcharity

Today, we ended 2023 in the most wholesome way! Everybody from the Sunrise Centre & our Ny Fianarantsika program went to Ambatoloaka beach to host a small performance and enjoy a day out. Swipe 👉 for the video. It was quite a chaotic day, so didn't manage to capture much. We want to thank everybody who has made the dream of the Sunrise Centre a reality. This morning, we received some great news regarding the continuity of the Sunrise Centre, announcement coming soon! #madagascar #nosybe #beachday #performance #christmasplay #christmasparty #labcharity

One thing about L.A.B, is that all of our students are supported 100% free of charge! On every project that we create, this is at the forefront of our philosophy. We cover the costs of: • Teacher's salaries • Materials and resources • Facility rent • EXTRAS - transport, food, activities, etc. We do this as we want all children to be skilled enough to have the opportunity to succeed. But, this gets expensive, and, for now, we rely on donations and grants to keep us going. This month, any donations made to L.A.B will be used specifically for providing free education for children in Madagascar or Guatemala. In fact, you can choose where your donation goes... If you're interested in making a donation, send us a DM, and we'll get back to you with a breakdown on what you can choose to support. Hope to hear from you soon ✌️ 🌞 📚 #freeeducation #education #donation #donate #christmasgiving #christmas #madagascar #Guatemala #nonprofitorganization #charity #labcharity

SAVE THE DATE! 📅 On December 12th, students from the Sunrise Centre will be doing a live music performance on Ambatoloaka beach. Over the next few weeks, we'll be writing our own song and also practising some Malagasy classics. These will all be performed by our students, staff, and new music teacher, Madame Mirina. We'll be singing, dancing, and then selling a few small artisinal goods on the beach. This will be a huge step for our students - As none of them have ever done anything like this before. If you're in Nosy Be, come and visit! #madagascar #nosybe #music #performance #christmas #fundraiser #labcharity

As an organisation, one of our main aims is to bring free education to children who don't have any other form of support... In Nosy Be, Madagascar, we have 2 key programs that support children who, otherwise, wouldn't be receiving an education: 🌞 THE SUNRISE CENTRE We've created the first and only facility in Nosy Be that supports people with intellectual & physical disabilities. At the Sunrise Centre, we have more than 40 people enrolled who attend free of charge to learn basic education, improve their life skills, and search for relevant employment opportunities. 🌞 NY FIANARANTSIKA (Our Education) We've created a unique learning curriculum and hired X2 local teachers to deliver it for free to children who don't attend school across Nosy Be. Some of these children are involved in heavy child labour and work in the island's various gravel mines, whereas others live in rural communities, with little or no access to education. COMING SOON 👉 We'll be delivering our 'Escuelita' project in Guatemala, where we aim to support children who are out of school in the municipality of Santiago de Atitlan. Interested in the work we do? Contact us anytime, and we'll be happy to answer your questions! #givingtuesday #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #education #school #teacher #freeeducation #madagascar #nosybe #charity #labcharity

A huge thank you to @baleinesrandeau for taking our students on an excursion today! Swipe 👉 to see the video. Each month, at the Sunrise Centre, we aim to do one fun school trip. This helps our students & their families to see more of Madagascar, experiencing opportunities that otherwise, they would be missing out on. #madagascar #nosybe #whaleshark #turtle #labcharity

We made these pics for our upcoming website renovation and thought they were worth posting, too... Sometimes, it's good to reflect on how far we've come and all that we've done since L.A.B was born back in 2017. Some of our favourite achievements are: • Creating the first centre for people with disabilities in Nosy Be, Madagascar • Organising pen-pal exchanges between students in the UK, Ireland, Spain, China, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Kenya, and Madagascar. • Supporting 490 people in 50 days across Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. • Innovating new projects to support out of school children, primarily those involved in child labour. • Exposing horrible crimes that took place against street children in Eldoret. • Partnered with a UK university to facilitate skilled volunteer exchanges in Madagascar. AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US TO DATE! Long may our work continue! 💛 #nonprofit #charity #achievements #education #madagascar #Guatemala #Kenya #poverty #labcharity

We're creating something new in Madagascar! 🇲🇬 ♿️ 🌞 'Tsareee!' Will be our new social enterprise, which will be active across Madagascar, providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities... How will it work? 👇 After facing many difficulties in finding employment opportunities for people with disabilities, we're going to create them instead. Working with each person as a unique individual, we will assess their skills, abilities, and interests to help co-create a business that works for them. These businesses include: 🧽 Car/tuktuk washing stands. 🛍 Small Malagasy-style shops and mobile vendors who sell a range of unique, sustainable, and necessary daily products. 🎨 Commissioned artwork and other handmade artisinal goods. All of these small enterprises will be under the name of 'Tsareee!', so all startup & marketing costs will be covered by the enterprise, and workers will be paid an above-average daily salary. Profits generated will help us at L.A.B to keep supporting people with disabilities and potentially open new models of our Sunrise Centre in other locations across Madagascar. And with the expansion of 'Tsareee!' will lead to more job opportunities for people with disabilities across Madagascar. A win/win situation that helps to generate funds within Madagascar to support the Malagasy disabled community and their families. #announcement #business #socialenterprise #entrepreneurship #nonprofitorganization #disabilityawareness #madagascar #labcharity

Since we opened the Sunrise Centre in March 2023, we've been on a mission to support every person with a disability in Nosy Be. We have now expanded our capacity and have over 45 students enrolled in the Sunrise Centre. On top of this, we're now looking to recruit local adults with disabilities as part-time workers, too. Our search for people with disabilities has led us across Nosy Be, into almost every small village, in every corner of the island. As the only organisation in Nosy Be dedicated to supporting people with disabilities, we're breaking new ground, and we hope one day to expand our work to the rest of Madagascar too! #disabilitysupport #disabilityawareness #seneducation #specialneeds #autism #madagascar #nonprofit #labcharity

At L.A.B, one of our aims is to ensure that everybody has the right to receive an education... With millions of school-age children across the world unable to attend school, we started to ponder upon potential solutions to this issue. After trial and error, we have created 2 unique programs that help to educate the uneducated children in both Madagascar and Latin America. NOTE: Neither of these programs involve enrolling children into schools. Instead, we bring the schooling to the children. 🇲🇬 Ny Fianarantsika: Based on the island of Nosy Be, our Ny Fianarantsika program now works in 5 key areas where there are high numbers of children who don't attend school. These areas include rock mines, landfill sites, and rural communities. Our team of local teachers visit these areas and provide free classes across a range of basic academic skills. Students also regularly have the chance to attend group sporting events. 🇲🇽 🇬🇹 The Escuelita Project: We're currently searching for a location in Mexico/Guatemala to open our first permanent Escuelita. An escuelita is an informal & makeshift classroom created by a local teacher, where children who don't attend school can go to learn. The escuelita seeks to improve academic skills of children who may eventually be able to be enrolled in regular schooling. 📚 🚸 Do you have any other ideas for how we can support out of school children across the world? Let us know! #education #socialissues #humanrights #inclusion #poverty #nonprofit #makeachange #madagascar #Mexico #Guatemala #labcharity

Our Sunrise Centre & Ny Fianarantsika programs both have a strong focus on ensuring all students live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives beyond the classroom... In pursuit of this, we do the following: 💧 WASH - Regular hand washing, showers, and classroom education on keeping clean. 🧸 PLAY - We encourage group and individual play to help students foster interests in the world around them. 🔨 LIFE SKILLS - By helping students participate in a range of life skills: cooking, cleaning, and gardening, they become better equipped to live independently in the future. #wash #handwashing #water #play #learningthroughplay #education #lifeskills #labcharity

WE HAVE STARTED WORK ON OUR GARDEN! THIS BRINGS US 1 STEP CLOSER TO BEING SUSTAINABLE AT THE SURNISE CENTRE. OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, WE HAVE EXTRA PLANS FOR SUPPORTING ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NOSY BE, MADAGASCAR. #madagascar #gardening #agriculture #disabilitysupport #education #gardeninspiration #nosybe #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

According to @unicef , the following are true about Madagascar: • Adjusted net attendance rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age: 27% • Adjusted net attendance rate for youth of upper secondary school age: 13% • Completion rate for children of primary school age: 56% • Youth literacy rate for 15-24 years: 80% • Percentage of children (aged 5-17 years) engaged in child labour (economic activities and household chores): 37% Here at L.A.B, we noticed high numbers of children who are unable to attend school on the island of Nosy Be. Poverty and rural living situations are huge contributing factors as to why so many children were unable to attend school. But is the solution to enrol these children into schools? Not necessarily... Many of them are years behind their peers and don't have the continued financial backing to remain in school. So what is the solution? We created a program called 'Ny Fianarantsika' (Our education), and through this project, we visited areas where there are high numbers of children who don't attend school. Some of these children are involved in child labour, and some of them are living in communities without a local school. At least twice per week, our teachers travel to these areas and provide a free, basic education to these children. After consulting with Malagasy teachers, we created a curriculum that contains 10 units: • Reading in French / Malagasy • Writing in French / Malagasy • Understanding the concept and value of numbers • Addition • Subtraction • Multiplication • Division • Colours, shapes, and sizes • About me and the world • Stories and arts Thanks to a recent expansion, we're now also hosting monthly sports events for the students of our Ny fianarantsika project, so they have even more opportunities available to them. Want to know more about our work around the world? Send us a DM anytime 🌞 #education #peace #unicef #poverty #madagascar #facts #teachersofinstagram #school #labcharity

Last week, we spontaneously created a new sport at the Sunrise Centre... It's kind of a cross between basketball, handball, and American football. Whatever its called, we had great fun playing it and we'll definitely be doing it again in the future! Swipe 👉 to see the rules. #sports #nosybe #madagascar #physicaleducation #peteacher #sportscoach #nonprofit #labcharity

OUR MADAGASCAR SUNRISE PROJECT IS EXPANDING! Swipe 👉 to see what changes we'll be making and how we'll be supporting even more people across Nosy Be. Alongside this, we have also gained a grant to buy a minibus - This will solve our ongoing transportation issue at the Sunrise Centre. We're so happy to share this news with you - Excited to share our new chapter with you. #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofit #education #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #freeeducation #charity #labcharity

GOOD NEWS! We now have funds available to deliver our Escuelita project in Mexico and Guatemala! For years now, we've been looking to deliver a project with a lasting impact in Mexico/Central America, and we believe that this could be it! Inspired by our Escuelita en la playa project last year, we want to create 2 - 3 permanent escuelitas in both Mexico and Guatemala. How will the project work? Swipe 👉 on the post to find out. Check our story for photos of last year's project in Mazunte, Mexico. #education #freeschool #escuela #Mexico #Guatemala #nonprofit #development #freeeducation #labcharity

Each day at the Sunrise Centre, we make progress. Today, after receiving a donation of unique specialist equipment, we have a student who can now stand independently. A life sitting down, unable to move from place to place without assistance, is very limiting. But after today, Emmanuella now has more freedom to move wherever she wants. It's easy to take the simple things for granted; standing without assistance, moving where we want to ¬t being dependent on others for simple tasks. Seeing Emmanuella stand alone today was a big step in her journey to independence. #nosybe #madagascar #education #seneducation #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #feelgood #nonprofit #charity #labcharity

At the Sunrise Centre, the parents are always 100% involved in everything that we do. Through the parents' co-operative that we have created, each mother has an equal stake in the centre, and for every day that they work, they earn a healthy salary. What are the benefits of this? 💶 - Families have a form of income and are less likely to fall into desperate poverty. ❌️ - There are no conflicts between the centre and parents, as they ARE involved in all aspects of our work. 🫂 - We learn how to best work with the students, as the parents know them best. 👭 - New friendships are formed, and students/parents now visit each other on weekends and holidays. This is one of the aspects of the Sunrise Centre that we are the most satisfied with, and we're sure that it's the reason for the great achievements we've made in the 6 months we've been open. #madagascar #nosybe #education #teachers #coop #poverty #ideas #nonprofitorganization #nonprofit #charity #labcharity

Swipe 👉 to hear the reaction from Kevinot's classmates as he writes the word 'be' (meaning 'big' in Malagasy) completely independently. One thing about the Sunrise Centre - we're all like a big family. Everybody respects everybody, and we all encourage one another. Seeing wholesome moments like this helps to remind us as to why we created the Sunrise Centre in the first place. #wholesome #instagood #feelgood #education #school #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofitorganization #specialneeds #disabilityawareness #labcharity

Swipe 👉 to see how the day went! (It was even more picturesque than we thought it would be) It was so great to finally be back together with our students, their parents, and our teachers after our summer holidays. There would be no better way to start the second term at the Sunrise Centre than by going to the nearby island of Nosy Lomba (lemur island). At the end of last term, we received a donation of 1,200,000 MGA (roughly €250) which allowed us to do this excursion. 🌞 We are super grateful for all the donations that we receive, which allow us to do all these activities here in Madagascar 🌞 #Madagascar #nosybe #nosykomba #holiday #excursion #schooltrip #beachday #education #labcharity

Given the huge smiles, you wouldn't be able to tell that the children in the photo are actually all involved in child labour. They work alongside their parents in the gravel mines of Dar Es Salam, Nosy Be. When we saw this issue, we wanted to do something about it... But was enrolling them into a school really a solution? Could their families afford for them to continue with schooling in the future? How would they adjust to a class with students who are far more academically advanced than they are? We took these questions into consideration and created our 'Ny fianarantsika' program, where we've employed X2 local teachers to deliver an education to these children. All delivered at their own level, at their own speed and in their own time. After a few months of running this program, we're now starting to see results. Students are learning to read, write, count, and understand the most basic academic skills. Given the success we're having in Nosy Be, in the future, we'd love to expand this project to other areas of Madagascar, where there are large numbers of children who are out of school. Comment below what you think of our Ny fianarantsika program 👇 #education #Madagascar #socialissues #school #charity #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #nosybe #childlabour #slavery #makeadifference #labcharity

One of the key units in the curriculum at our Sunrise Centre is 'NEW EXPERIENCES', and to make sure that all students achieve this unit, we partake in 1 excursion each month. Among our planned excursions, we have: 🚢 boat rides 🏝 Island hopping 💧 waterfall visits 🐴 horse riding 🌄 park days & more! Before the Sunrise Centre was opened, our students and their parents rarely had any new experiences... Instead, they spent most of their days at home, with no external support. However, now, students receive an education, parents have a place to work, and we're happy to be making an ongoing difference in the lives of people with disabilities. #nosybe #Madagascar #excursion #holiday #boattrip #waterfall #education #disabilityawareness #labcharity

In May 2023, we went to Kenya to try and find the answer to the question: What happened to the street families of Eldoret? After 1 week of trying to get to the bottom of the situation, we still didn't have a clear answer. But many of those who remained would claim that they were ambushed and attacked by organised forces, potentially organised by the Kenyan government. All of the evidence that we compiled over the week has been submitted to our friends at @theafricareport, who will soon publish an article on the situation. Additionally, we filmed everything and have made a short documentary that will be released after the article. Swipe 👉 to see a short preview of the documentary. #kenya #eldoret #news #homeless #poverty #filmmaking #documentary #labcharity

Earlier this month, our students, staff, and parents all took part in the parade at Somaroho Festival, Nosy Be. They all marched through Hellville town with volunteers from @madagascarvolunteer By doing this, we raised awareness about our work at the Sunrise Centre, which helps us to integrate more into the local community! Swipe 👉 to see the best pics #nosybe #madagascar #festival #education #labcharity

A huge congratulations to Kevinot for being the first graduate of the Sunrise Centre! 🌞 🎓 As of September, we'll be helping Kevinot to start his own car / tuktuk washing enterprise. Obviously, it's not the typical graduation... But we're not the typical school! In the Sunrise Centre, our aim is for our students to: • Learn relevant life skills • Achieve their dreams • Become more well-rounded individuals. And that's why we're called L.A.B. #madagascar #nosybe #nonprofitorganization #specialneeds #disabilityawareness #lifeskills #smallbusiness #labcharity

Ny Fianarantsika - Our education Through this project, we aim to bring free education to children who are unable to attend school across Nosy Be. One area we focus on in particular, is the gravel mines across the island... Especially the largest, which us just outside the touristic town of Ambatoloaka. Swipe 👉 to see a short video summarising the work we're doing at the mines. #education #madagascar #nosybe #teacher #teachers #documentary #shorts #reels

Did you know that approximately 95% of Madagascar’s reptiles, 89% of its plant life, and 92% of its mammals exist nowhere else on Earth?! So when we take our students on forest walks, we always come across something in the bush... The chances are that this animal can not be found anywhere outside of Madagascar. As you can see by the photos, the most photogenic of the animals are the chameleons and lemurs. Because Madagascar's wildlife is so fragile, we make sure to help our students learn about environmental responsibility, ensuring that the wonderful wildlife is preserved for future generations. #chameleon #lemur #wildlife #conservation #pantherchameleon #reptiles #facts #madagascar #nosybe #labcharity

WE'RE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AT OUR SUNRISE CENTRE IN NOSY BE, MADAGASCAR! 🌞 As we approach our second term at the Sunrise Centre, we'd like to invite people from across the world to support our work in this little slice of paradise. The Sunrise Centre opened earlier this year and is the only centre for the support and education of people with disabilities in Nosy Be. The work we're doing here is making waves across the country, as we shed light on how to better support and educate Malagasy people with physical and intellectual disabilities. In particular, we're looking for professionals or students who already have experience in any of the following roles: 🩺 Doctors / Nurses 💪 Occupational / Physical / Speech therapists 👩‍🏫 SEN teachers / Disability support workers 🧠 Psychologists / Behavioural workers WE WANT TO MAKE CLEAR: • We are not a voluntourism organisation, and we don't accept everybody who applies - Rather, we look for those who may be able to best support our students, and really be an effective part of our team. However, everybody is free to make an application! Any questions? Ask them in the comments! #madagascar #nosybe #volunteer #volunteering #volunteeropportunities #gapyear #teachertraining #volunteerabroad #travel #travelling #nonprofit #helpothers #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #labcharity

Our ny fianarantsika program aims to address the lack of basic education available in Madagascar! Through this program, we seek areas where there are high numbers of children who are out of school, and then we bring education to them. We have hired local Malagasy teachers, who visit their communities 2-3 times per week, delivering fun and relevant classes in basic skills. We focus on literacy, maths, and arts. What we believe to be the most relevant academic skills. Eventually, we aim for this program to be replicated across the entirety of Madagascar. Essentially, we seek children who are unable to go to school, and then we bring the schooling to them! #Madagascar #education #sdgs #development #charity #nonprofit #teacher #labcharity #poverty

These images are causing outrage across social media in Madagascar, and rightly so. In one school in Tanjombato, students were forced to take their baccalaureate exams in candlelight - This goes to highlight some of the energy issues that residents of the world's 4th largest island are facing. The lack of electricity in schools during the exam period doesn't just mean no lights in the exam hall, it also means that computers, printers and other vital resources were unable to be used. We'd love to see more sustainable energy projects emerging across Madagascar in the near future! #Madagascar #baccalaureate #exams #socialissues #poverty #powercut #labcharity

At L.A.B, we are serious about letting the world know about a huge crisis taking place in Kenya - the street child crisis. Since 2019, we have been working closely with nonprofits and activists in Eldoret town - an epicentre of the street child crisis. Most of these children are addicted to drugs, scavenging for food, and regularly abused by authorities. None of their basic needs in life are met, and they are continually suffering. We're working on releasing an article, which will help to raise further awareness of the ongoing crisis and issues faced by street children. If you have any questions about Kenya's street child population, then please leave them in the comments, and we'll try our best to answer! #kenya #homeless #socialissues #raiseawareness #nonprofit #socialwork #labcharity

Yesterday, 64 children attended a bi-weekly free education session as part of our 'ny fianarantsika' program. All of these children are not enrolled in any school. Instead, they are working alongside their parents in a gravel mine on the outskirts of Ambatoloaka, one of Nosy Be's most popular tourist towns. They work they're doing is brutal - breaking rocks with just a hammer... We even participated in rock breaking, too, and can confirm it's not easy. So that their right to an education is met, we are providing X2 free sessions a week, where students focus on reading, writing, stories and interactive learning. Swipe 👉 to see some of our favourite photos from the day... A huge thank you to our local teachers, Faiza and Ridhoany, who are so important in making this project a success. #Madagascar #nosybe #childlabour #socialissues #poverty #sdgs #education #teachers #nonprofitorganization #labcharity

Swipe 👉 for photos of our 'Escuelita en la playa' project last year in Mexico. From this project, we've drawn inspiration to create a bigger impact for children who are out of school. Not just in Mexico, but across various parts of Latin America. The concept for the project is as follows: • We identify an area where there is a high number of children that are not attending school. • We find a suitable location to host the escuelita 2-3 times per week. • We employ a local teacher and do an informal inscription for all those who wish to attend. • Free classes begin - Students learn essential academic skills - reading, writing & and numbers, whilst also doing arts, sports & story activities. • Student progress is monitored and evaluated, and personal targets are set for the student to 'graduate' • Parents regularly attend & assist with the classes, eventually creating a teacher & parent co-operative. • We seek local businesses to support the local escuelita co-operative so that their work can continue. Following this model, other escuelitas could independently be created! Who knows when this will happen, but we'd love the chance to deliver this! #Mexico #mazunte #escuela #Guatemala #nicaragua #elsalvador #education #educacion #labcharity #nonprofit #makeachange

School's out for summer! 🌞 We're so thrilled at how successful our Sunrise Centre has been in the first 4 months of operations... Without any framework to follow, we successfully created Nosy Be's first disability education centre, and the results so far have been amazing: 🌞 35+ students enrolled 🌞 3,000,000 + MGA paid to the parents for their daily support 🌞 100% of students have achieved at least 10 of our curriculum modules 🌞 2 free excursions for parents and students 🌞 100% satisfaction rate amongst students and parents 🌞 15 + International volunteers have worked with us, including a qualified nurse from the USA and 12 SEN teachers in training. Starting in September, some of our older students will be looking for work, whilst our younger students will be focusing more on life skills... Our garden will be up and running, where we'll be producing & selling fruits & vegetables to people across Madagascar. We'll also have a few new additions to the Sunrise family - with more capacity to take extra animals... Expect to see a few more 🐔 and 🦆 on site. Now, it's time to relax. A huge thank you to all of you who have supported the centre. If you haven't yet supported but wish to do so, then please get in touch. #Madagascar #nosybe #disabilityawareness #sen #seneducation #charity #dogood #feelgood #holidays #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization

Yesterday was another truly special day... (swipe to see highlights) We celebrated 63 years of Malagasy independence with those closest to us here in Madagascar. We marched through Hellville, showing our presence to the local community. And then we partied on the beach, all together, eating the best food, all prepared by our amazing grandma ❤️ Tomorrow, we have another special day lined up, which we can't wait to share with you all. #madagascar #independenceday #independence #nosybe #labcharity

Swipe to see some confused (but very happy) faces! 👉 Nosy Be, Madagascar 🇲🇬 #filters #snapchatfilters #Snapchat #nonprofit #charity #education #madagascar #labcharity

One of our students is already set to transition from school life into work life... Her name is Prisca, she's full of smiles and would make a great addition to any team. As of next week, we're going to set out on some small job hunts for Prisca, just on a part-time basis, where she'll be able to earn her own income and begin on the path towards independence. She is great at cooking, cleaning, helping people, and (most importantly) making everybody smile! If you're in Nosy Be and you're looking for somebody to help out, then we highly recommend Prisca! #nosybe #madagascar #looking for lookingforwork #jobseeking #jobsearch #cv #application #resume #labcharity

June 2023 is a huge month for us at LAB! We're hosting 12 volunteers from @bgulincoln who are working at our Sunrise Centre, supporting our students with disabilities. Their volunteering experience is very relevant to their future careers, as they're all studying on the SENDI (Special Educational Needs, Disabilities and Inclusion) course at university. Many of the volunteers already have experience in working with people with disabilities, and we're learning so much from them. We hope that they're also learning from our unique style of support at the Sunrise Centre. This partnership will be recurring - So, each year, we'll be able to take groups of volunteers from the same course at the same university. We're also open to hosting more volunteers from other universities across the world... So if you're studying a relevant course, then please get in touch! #labcharity #education #bgulincoln #sen #send #disabilityawareness #nosybe #Madagascar #university #Turing

Finally! 🎉 Ever since we came across children working in the gravel mines of Nosy Be, we wanted to create a project to support them. But rather than enrolling them into a school, we're deciding to bring the school to them - By hiring 2 teachers to visit regularly and deliver free classes. Today, our teachers held the inscription in the largest gravel mine, and over 50 children were interested! Tomorrow, they'll be hosting another inscription session in the community of Mahatsinjo, where our #sunrisecentre is. Want to see more of the mines? Check our story - 24hrs only! #nosybe #Madagascar #childlabour #socialissues #education #sustainability #poverty #nonprofit #teachers #sdg #labcharity

Swipe 👉 to see just some of the activities that we do in the Sunrise Centre... Although yes, we do classroom based education, we also host a range of other activities that help our students grow into healthier, happier, and more competent individuals. If you have ANY questions about what we do in Madagascar, then please feel free to give us a message. Zanako tsy hariako oooo! #madagascar #nosybe #Sunrise #sunrisecentre #disabilities #disability #disabilityawareness #education #SEN #seneducation #autism #autismawareness #labcharity

Today was an amazing day! Thanks to @lesziliens for their generosity in allowing our students to to something they have the done before - To go on an excursion. Swipe 👉 to see all.thw activities of the day! #Nosybe #madagascar #excursion #boat #holiday #vacation #labcharity

There is a human rights crisis that has taken place in Kenya, and we witnessed it first-hand. Yet, the world remains unaware about what has happened. We're potentially talking about government sanctioned murder of one of Kenya's poorest demographics - The street children & homeless community. Please, read through the posts and do what you can to help us raise awareness. #kenya #Africa #humanrights #politics #socialissues #environment #homeless #world #news #internationalnews #unicef #silence @karmagawa @unicef_kenya @amnesty @amnesty_kenya @wearthepeace

The answer is 12... We are managing to get 12 students into 1 tuktuk for transporting them between the Sunrise Centre and their homes. In the other tuktuk, we have 8-10 students. Although this is funny, this does highlight an issue that we are facing now: No consistent and comfortable transportation. So, we're looking to buy a bus 🚌 We're searching for grants and emergency funding to help us solve this transport issue for good. Once purchased, the bus will also be used to help fund our Sunrise Centre... Want to know how? Send us a DM for more details. #Madagascar #transport #joke #comedy #nosybe #education #tuktuk #nonprofitorganization #nonprofit #labcharity #makeadifference

Sports day in the Sunrise Centre! We had a range of activities for all of our students. Swipe 👉 to see some clips of the events. #nosybe #madagascar #sportsday #sports #specialneeds #specialeducation #education

Since we first thought of the idea for the Sunrise Centre, we have always prioritised life skills in our curriculum. We're aiming to prepare our students for a long, happy, and independent life. For that reason, it's more important to learn cooking than calculus. Swipe to see our aims of our #lifeskills program 👉 #madagascar #nosybe #disabilityawareness #specialeducation #specialneeds #specialeducationteacher #disabilities #disability #nonprofit #thesunrisecentre #labcharity

An old school concept that we're bringing back into fashion: Pen-pals... For those learning English with L.A.B, receiving a letter written in English from somebody across the world always puts a smile on their faces. And, when their responses are written and sent back across the world, school students can't believe they have received a response, in English, from a student in a distant country. For us, we love delivering pen-pal exchanges because they help us see the similarities between many students... Some have the same future work ambitions. Some share the same favourite foods. Others even support the same football team. All of this, despite being separated by thousands of miles. Helping to connect learners across the world is one of the things we love to do at L.A.B. If you're a teacher and you want to see if your school can join our program, then send us a message anytime!

When interviewing a street child this week, he made his feelings clear... And those feelings are shared by the few who remain in Eldoret's street child community. We're working on producing more content to raise awareness about what has happened to Eldoret's street child and homeless population... This will be shared with you all very soon. From there, we aim to seek funding to provide more solutions to help get these children and young adults off the streets. #Kenya #streetchildren #homeless #interview #streetwear #nonprofit #charity #nonprofitorganization #insight #labcharity #eldoret