Thanks to support from the IUCN SOS Lemur Fund, we have launched the Green Scholarship Program, providing scholarships to 60 top-performing primary school students from 6 schools in the area around Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve (ASSR). With illiteracy rates approaching 80% in many communities, investing in education is essential for both community well-being and long-term conservation. This program is designed to help students stay in school while reinforcing the critical tie between education and environmental stewardship.
Expanding Year by Year to Reach More Communities
Each year, the initiative will expand to additional villages, ensuring that more children gain access to educational opportunities that can shape their futures and the future of the reserve. This new effort is being implemented in close collaboration with CISCO Andapa, the SAVA Regional Direction of the Ministry of Environment (Andapa branch), and Madagascar National Parks. Together, we will support the next generation of conservation-minded youth who will play a key role in safeguarding Madagascar’s forests, wildlife, and local livelihoods.
Why Scholarships Matter at ASSR
Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve is one of Madagascar’s most biodiverse protected areas, home to 13 lemur species including the Critically Endangered silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus) and indri (Indri indri). Yet the communities surrounding the reserve face some of the most acute education challenges in the country — fewer than half of children in the area have access to a school, and where schools do exist, they often lack books, electricity, or basic supplies. Without support, many academically strong students are forced to abandon their education due to the cost of uniforms, supplies, and meals, or because they are needed at home.
The Green Scholarship Program directly addresses this barrier, providing targeted support to high-performing, conservation-minded students from under-resourced families — and building the pipeline of local leaders who will one day become stewards of these forests. To learn more about Wildlife Madagascar’s broader approach to education, visit our Education Strategy page.