Meet Fanomezana: A Hopeful CSE Teacher from the Menabe Region

In Madagascar's Menabe region, the Avenue of the Baobabs draws eyes from around the world. Less visible, but just as deeply rooted in this landscape, the Jeune Leader comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program is quietly taking hold in rural public middle schools.

Meet Fanomezana: a CSE teacher in the Menabe region. She teaches at the public middle school in Dabolava, a school of 200 students in a rural commune. She has been teaching Malagasy and Science for the past five years.

Fanomezana loves her work as a teacher, but she has always wanted to be a leader too. The moment she heard the word "Leader" in the call for applications to become a “Mpanabe Jeune Leader” CSE teacher, something clicked. She applied right away, and when she got the call, she said yes without hesitation.

So what drew her to it?

As she tells, it, she could already picture the bright future the program could help create for young people. As she puts it: "I love the vision 'Every adolescent thrives.' I believe this will lead to an improved society one day."

Beyond that, as a teacher, she wants to grow into someone who is fulfilled herself, and someone her students and their parents can trust.

"My goal, after completing the Jeune Leader training, is to become a more fulfilled person, to communicate with confidence and assertiveness. And to be someone who brings something to others — especially students and their parents — by exchanging ideas with them and being easy to approach."

One of the most striking things she shared with us was this: she hopes the program will help shift certain social norms over time, especially around healthy relationships and interpersonal violence. "I'll be completely honest. Relationships here are often aggressive, even violent. Politeness and respect don't really come through. That's one of the things this CSE subject is going to do a lot to change. It's going to fill a very real gap."

She has a lot of hope, and the changes she's already seen are proof that hope is turning into reality. When she was just a Malagasy and Science teacher, students would rush out the door the moment class ended. Now, they linger. They want to talk. Everyone wants a counseling session (a one-on-one confidential conversation with her to ask for support or advice). She noticed one girl in particular who used to be shy and barely spoke. Now, that same student is bold, confident, and loves chatting with her. She sees Fanomezana as a mentor and role model.

There are other changes she didn't see coming: "I've seen one really unexpected change in the students: a real interest in reading! Before, I'd always try to encourage them: 'Come on, kids, love reading, pick up a newspaper' — and nothing. But as soon as we introduced the EKO magazines [Projet Jeune Leader magazines], every single copy I had was borrowed immediately. I could see they were drawn in. That's a big deal that the love of reading has taken root in them."

We'll leave the last word to Fanomezana herself: "I truly believe in the impact of this program. My hope is very, very great."