It's been 10 years!
When the early idea for Projet Jeune Leader took root in 2013, we could never have imagined we would be where we are today.
200,000+
young adolescents have received our comprehensive sexuality education program
308
specialized sexuality educators
42,800+
one-on-one counseling sessions were requested by adolescent students with our Educators
148
public middle schools
11,100+
parents have participated in our workshops on adolescent development
3
regions of Madagascar
How It All Started
"In 2012, I was working with an initiative to connect vulnerable youth in my hometown of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar with peer educators who led basic sexual health workshops. Through this work, I saw how so many short-term and one-directional interventions fell short. The youth we worked with had follow-up questions and concerns, but no one trusted to turn to. There was huge need and demand for high-quality, longer-term sex ed. ​ And that's how Projet Jeune Leader was born. I secured our very first grant — US$15,000 — and, in 2013, recruited and launched our very first cohort of Educators in four public schools in Fianarantsoa."
Maia Ramarosandratana
Founder and Executive Director
Our Founder Maia (far left) and our very first cohort of Educators, including Chrystian (back row on the left), who is one our program managers today!
What We've Achieved
Over the past decade, we are immensely proud to have built a life-changing program and unprecedented momentum for comprehensive sexuality education in Madagascar.
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A few other things we're proud of:
Ours is the first nationally approved sexuality education curriculum for middle school in Madagascar
91% of the schools we work in are in rural communities, a proportion that continues to grow
5 of 6 of our program managers and coordinators are former PJL Educators
A Look Back at our Milestones
2013
The start of our journey
We're founded in a one-room office in the historic old town of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar.
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We recruit our first cohort of eight Educators. In pairs, they begin working in our first four partner middle schools in the city. From the start, timetabled sexuality education classes and one-on-one counseling are part of our core program.
On the Horizon
We have built so much momentum — and to us, that means the work is just getting started.
Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan outlines a bold goal — and a tangible plan — to reach over 100,000 young adolescents a year and mainstream comprehensive sexuality education in Madagascar's public education structures and policies. These are significant milestones in our mission to ensure every young adolescent in Madagascar receives high-quality comprehensive sexuality education at school.
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Guided by our Strategic Plan, we are on the cusp of transforming middle school for an entire generation of Malagasy youth.
Join Us in Launching our Next Decade of Impact
Our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan set a goal of reaching 21,000 young adolescents.
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We achieved that goal.
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Our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan set a goal of reaching 50,000 young adolescents.
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We achieved that goal — a year ahead of our target.
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Today, we're setting a bold goal of reaching at least 100,000 young adolescents a year by 2026.