The Sunrise Centre

As of March 2023, we officially opened Nosy Be's first centre for the education & support of people with physical and intellectual disabilities in a rented facility. Having worked to create the Sunrise Centre since the founding of L.A.B in 2017, this was our largest achievement.

However, it became to clear to us that working out of a rented facility was not appropriate, especially for those with physical disabilities. In 2024, it became our  mission to build our own facility, purpose built with inclusivity in mind, that would remain ours forever, with no landlord. In October 2024, our dream became a reality, as we inaugurated the new Sunrise Centre in Nosy Be.

Now, prior to the existence of the  Sunrise Centre, people with disabilities in Nosy Be received no support or opportunities, and were regularly discriminated against. With the creation of the Sunrise Centre, not only are we helping to educate, up-skill and support people with disabilities, but we are also working to improve the overall outlook of the Malagasy people towards people with disabilities. We host exhibitions, excursions and community programs to display the capabilities of people with disabilities.

The Sunrise Centre is a facility for all people with disabilities in Nosy Be - Both adults and children alike. Currently, we have more than 60 individuals enrolled in the Sunrise Centre, aged 5+. Another factor that makes the Sunrise Centre unique is our dedication to the families too - Where over 90% of enrolled students have a family member working at the centre for a strong daily salary.

Although filmed in the old facility, we invite you to watch our documentary below on the Sunrise Centre.

A huge thank you to Jacob's Well Charitable Trust for supporting us in the construction of the new Sunrise Centre!

Free Public Education - Ny Fianarantsika
It is estimated that only 35% of children in Madagascar complete their primary education. In the majority of cases, this is due to schooling fees being too expensive.

In a pursuit to ensure that nobody misses out on their right to obtain an education, we launched our 'Ny Fianarantsika' (Translation: Our Education) project, where we work across Nosy Be, targeting children who are out of school and bringing a 100% free, yet informal school to their doorsteps. By employing a team of 4 talented local teachers who regularly travel across the island, we ensure that we can reach those who need it.

The focus of this project is mainly literacy and numeracy - The essential academic skills used hundreds of times in a regular day-to-day life . Skills that are usually taught in schools, skills that without any doubt, are absolutely essential.

When working in a new location on the Ny Fianarantsika project, we either rent a nearby facility, or we build our own small, simple classroom (Costing no more than £600) - These serve as a consistent, makeshift, yet appropriate informal school facilities.

Currently, we're bringing our Ny Fianarantsika program to 5 consistent locations:

- The gravel mines of Dar es Salaam

- The rural community of Menapingo, where the Sunrise Centre is located
- The rural communities of Djabala & Djabalahonko
- The large rock mine in Orangea.

To demonstrate the benefits of this project, we made a short documentary, which can be found below

Our Social Enterprise: Tsareee!

At the Sunrise Centre, our students aim to graduate by transitioning into paid employment. In July 2023, we had a handful of students ready to graduate, but we soon realised that finding employment opportunities for students was harder than we had anticipated. This wasn't due to the in-capabilities of the students, but more due to certain prejudices been held against them.

This gave us the inspiration to create 'TSAREEE!' - A for-profit social enterprise which focuses uniquely on creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities across Madagascar.

Through this enterprise, we assess each individual based on their interests, abilities and desires for employment. Then, we create a unique small business, managed entirely by TSAREEE, and staffed by local people with disabilities.

Later in 2025, this project will be receiving a huge boost, as we will be purchasing X2 plastic recycling machines, the first of their kind in Nosy Be. This will enable us to employ adults with disabilities in the fields of trash collection, machine operating, and recycled product sales. Cleaning up Nosy Be, whilst at the same time, providing jobs, income & independence for adults with disabilities.