TAFITA SOLEDAM
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Pour faire un don
Give them a chance...
The Association TAFITA SOLEDAM (Association Tafita Solidarité avec les enfants demunis d'Ampefy, Madagascar), is a French association Act 1901 created on February 08, 2013.
TAFITA means "Success" in the Malagasy language.
The vocation of the TAFITA SOLEDAM Association is to help poor children in the Rural Commune of Ampefy in Madagascar, by offering them the opportunity to go to school, to study in the best possible conditions, and to benefit from a school canteen.
The objectives of the TAFITA Association, for children from (very) poor Ampefy families, are to:
- Allow the children to access basic education, by being educated at the Tafita Associative School, of which the association supports a large part of the operating budget,
- Contribute to the fight against malnutrition,
- Allow access to drinking water for children enrolled at Tafita School,
- Contribute to the development and fulfilment of children through extra-curricular activities of an educational, sporting or playful nature,
- Act to contribute to the improvement of children's environment, (hygiene, health, environmental issues...)
- Provide concrete help to children exposed to an urgent or dramatic situation, often of a medical nature
- Facilitate former students' access to professional training when they are old enough to enter the world of work,
- Develop sponsorship,
- Make the investments necessary for the implementation of the projects pursued by the Association,
- Promote the participation of volunteers, also those visiting from abroad
The TAFITA Associative School was founded in Ampefy in 2014 at the initiative of Mr. Gilles Mermet, a former now retired HR executive.
As a man of the field and projects, he held the Presidency of the French Association Tafita Soledam from its constitution until August 2024.
Since that date, he has become a "coordinator", always as a volunteer, and ensures the communication between our French Association Tafita Soledam and the management of the associated school on site.
The associated school is primarily aimed at (very) poor families, and the Director goes to families who apply for schooling to understand
A poor family is a family that lives below the poverty line, in Madagascar that means below two euros per day for the family.
The vocation of the school is of course to provide children with the basic education to which they are entitled, but also to contribute to their education, by enhancing universal values.
The Tafita associative school welcomes about a hundred students each year from the small section to the CM2 class according to the French system.
In this school, respect for students is an un-negotiable principle and any moral pressure or physical violence on the students is prohibited.
In summary, our priorities: Allow children to:
- Be free from a job, often for food purpose for the family,
- Live a happy and constructive childhood,
- Access to a full meal per day, drinking water, hygiene and health.
Children's rights
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
Children have the right to :
- The right to an identity,
- The right to be treated,
- The right to have a sufficient and balanced diet,
- The right to go to school,
- The right to be protected from violence, discrimination,
- The right to have decent living conditions,
- The right to play and have leisure,
- The right to have a family, to be surrounded and loved,
- The right to freedom of expression, information and participation.
the right to a safe environment
Madagascar is a signatory of the UNCRC and ratified it 19 April 1990, however the implementation of the UNCRC remains a major challenge in Madagascar.
According to UNICEF, 9 out of 10 children in Madagascar suffer from multiple deprivations, especially in terms of health, education and protection.
A quarter of Malagasy children aged 5 to 17 are forced to work, mainly to support their families.
The “raison d'être” of the TAFITA SOLEDAM Association is to bring its "share of hummingbird".
The legend of the Hummingbird is that one day the forest caught fire. All the terrified animals fled and witnessed the disaster, overwhelmed, helpless.
Only a small hummingbird named Haya was active, carrying a single dropof water in its beak to throw it on the fire. Again and again.
The other animals asked : “ Hummingbird, have you gone crazy? Do you really think you're going to put out the fire with these tiny drops of water? ”
"I know," replies the hummingbird, "but I'm doing my part."
Then the other animals started to follow Haya’s example. And slowly they were able to put out the fire.
The moral of the story is @ every little bit helps “
We are not totally powerless if we take action, so that every human being in the world can eat, be clothed , have shelter, heal and develop its potential for its fulfilment.
Our story
TAFITA means "Success" in Malagasy.
The TAFITA Associative School was founded in Ampefy, in 2014 at the initiative of Mr. Gilles Mermet, a former and retired HR executive.
Coming to Madagascar to carry out a volunteer mission, Gilles Mermet returned to France, and came across a television report, showing the foundation of a school in Africa. He returned to Madagascar with this concept in his mind.
From 2013, he worked with the help of a Malagasy friend, Juliame Randrianavorivo, to realise the foundation of a primary school on the heights of the rural community of Ampefy, at the shores of the great river Itasy, in the centre of Madagascar.
Juliame Randrianavorivo, a children’s nurse by training, married and father, aided Gilles with his mastery of the language and his knowledge of Malagasy culture.
The TAFITA Associative School opened its doors in 2014.
As a man of the field and projects, Gilles Mermet held the Presidency of the French Association Tafita Soledam from its constitution until August 2024, for ten years.
Wishing to devote all his time to operational projects on site, in Madagascar, he asked a Franco-Dutch couple of volunteers from the Association TAFITA SOLEDAM, Sophie PELSMA-GAIGNARD and Jelle PELSMA to take charge of the administration of the Association's Office in France. Céline LHOSTE, a teacher in Chartres, agreed to be Secretary of the Association.
Gilles MERMET has, since that date, become a "coordinator", always as a volunteer, and ensures the operational junction between our French Association Tafita Soledam and the management of the associative school on site.
The TAFITA SOLEDAM Association, now based in Chartres (28), therefore has a new Volunteer Office since August 2024 and devotes its actions in France to the financing of the Tafita School in Ampefy.
The associative school is primarily aimed at (very) poor families, and the Director goes to families who apply for schooling.
A poor family is a family that lives below the poverty line, i.e. below two euros per day per family.
The vocation of the school is to provide children with the basic education to which they are entitled, but also to contribute to their education, by enhancing universal values.
The Tafita associative school welcomes about a hundred students each year from the small section to the CM2 class according to the French system
In this school, respect for students is an un-negotiable principle and any moral pressure or physical violence on the students is prohibited.
Our priorities are to enable children to:
- not having to work in order to provide food for the family,
- Live a happy and constructive childhood,
- have access to a full meal per day, healthy drinking water, hygiene and health.
The Office of the Association has several responsibilities:
Information to the members of the Association
Organisation of "lighthouse" actions to publish the TAFITA SOLEDAM Association and its actions
Organisation of fundraising actions
search for patrons to financially support the association
Implementation of pedagogical exchanges between French schools and the Tafita Soledam School
Management of the administrative tasks of the Association
Preparation of annual accounts, tax receipts, management and control of financial flows with the Associative School
Management of relations with third parties likely and willing to help the Association, e.g. volunteers willing to go on a mission to the Associative School
Management of the logistics of all the representations of the Association during events
Applications for grants
Execution of an annual voluntary mission on site, in Ampefy - each member of the participating Bureau bears, at his sole expense, his personal expenses (air transport, accommodation, meals...)
Management of publications, networks
The work of the new Office of the Association is considerable and has recently been set up (September 2024). Volunteers are welcome for any form of help...
Founder and local French coordinator
Assistant founder and Director of the School Malagasy local coordinator in training
The local team is the operational interface in Madagascar of the Office of the Association TAFITA SOLEDAM, which is based in CHARTRES.
Each month, it sends to the Office the School's financing needs, calculated as accurately as possible.
It ensures the proper day-to-day functioning of the TAFITA Associative School at AMPEFY, and manages the reception of volunteers, as well as the ancillary projects falling within the corporate purpose of the Association (emergencies, health improvement, hygiene, support for deserving students...).
In connection with this local interface, the Office of the TAFITA SOLEDAM Association ensures the proper use of funds collected from members, donors, patrons...
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