2008 - 2022
2008 - Start of Madagascar
Gilles Pouvreau started doing volunteering work in Madagascar. He partnered with Ambeoka (a humanitarian association) for his first project which was building a bridge in Fianaratsoa to link different villages together. This project took a total of 2 months and cost a total of 2,500 euros.
2009 - Starting the Orphanage
Started plans to build an orphanage in Tulear with Ambeoka. This included collecting funds to buy the land, recruiting local workforce, and getting a permit to build.
2010 - Finishing the Orphanage
Gilles Pouvreau went to Madagascar to buy materials and start working on the electricity and plumbing aspects of the orphanage.
2011 - Building a School in Manakanda
Partnered with an organization named Madamoramora to make a school which included 3 classrooms and one lunch room. We hired 2 locals: one to serve food and one to teach females how to make crafts. The total cost for the school was 36,000 euros. We also made a reservoir to distribute water, a well, and showers. At the end of the year, the bridge we previously built broke down and we rebuilt it.
2012 - Starting ABLFC Organization and Ampasimaneva Projects
This year, Gilles founded A Better Life for Children, a tax-deductible humanitarian organization in France. The members of the association put in a total of 13,500 euros to kickstart the association. With this money, we decided to rebuild a junior high school in Ampasimaneva which had been destroyed in 2010, make plans to build a hydro-electric turbine to power the school and nearby village, and bring potable water so the villagers wouldn't have to walk so far to attain it. The cost of these 3 projects is 165,000 euros. Our partner, EDF, donated 100,000 euros to help fund the projects.
2013 - Building Hydro-Electric Infrastructure in Ampasimaneva
The main goal for this year was to continue the hydro-electric project. This included attaining all the pipes, valves, and eletrical switchboard necessary for the hydro-electric turbine project in France, and shipping them to Madagascar in a 75-meter cubed container. 1,800 villagers helped in the arduous manual transportation to the remote site where local contractors could start building 600-meter long trenches. On top of the three projects, thanks to a partnership with Orange Mécenat, we started building a health center in which the sick can be treated and women can give birth in a safer environment.
2014 - Finishing Ampasimaneva Hydro-Electric Project and ABLFC Switzerland
The turbine for Ampasimaneva was shipped to Madagascar then partly helicoptered, partly hand-carried to the remote village. The electrical switchboards were put in place at the school and health center. Electrical poles were planted throughout the village for lighting, and an overpass was built to link 2 main parts of the village. A big celebration was organized to inaugurate the turbine with the sponsors, and a movie was created to showcase the project.
This year, ABLFC Switzerland was established as a brother organization to ABLFC France. The president of this association is Jean-Luc Jezouin and instead of focusing on Madagascar, the organization focuses on Congo. The first step of the organization was to identify a village to help, which we chose the Malandji Makulu village, and then identify the projects which will help the community the most. To do this, Gilles took a trip to the village.
2015 - Ampasimaneva Potable Water and Starting Congo Projects
In Ampasimaneva, an elementary school made of concrete blocks was started being built. The potable water project also started getting significant funding (96,000 euros) from Aquissistance and other sponsors such as the Loire Atlantique French Region. To build the potable water system, 800 villagers helped in the transportation of a significant amont of valves, pipes, and concrete. After transporting the material, 2 km long trenches were built along with a 20 meter cubed of reservoir. As the hydro-electric project was completed last year, electricity was supplied to the health center, and the Madagascar Government appointed a fulltime doctor. Because of this, the health center got upgraded with housing for the doctor, a waiting room, and a kitchen. The health center also recieved a donation of a microscope from the Nantes Hospital Center.
In the Malandji Makulu village of Congo, we started multiple projects including an adult education center, a carpentry shop, a medical center, and implementing solar electrification. We managed to finish building the carpentry shop which makes all the doors, windows, and furniture required by our projects. We also finished phase 1 of the adult education center which included the construction of a building containing showers, sinks, and electrical power. Solar panels were put on the roof as an environmentally friendly way to supply the building with power. We also made plans for phase 2, 3, and 4 of the adult education center. On top of making solar panels for the education center, we also submitted proposals to energize the whole village through solar panels. Lastly, we improved a medical facility which offers hygienic conditions to the sick and to women and, importantly, the doctor can have acceptable working conditions.
2016 - Madagascar Potable Water/School Projects and Congo Education
Ampasimaneva was equipped with fountains, showers, restrooms, and a communal washing center which concluded the potable water project. A new site, Ambinda, was then identified as the village in which we were going to build a school. This school includes 2 classrooms, 1 meeting room, and 2 housing spaces for the teachers. In the future, ABLFC will pay one of the teacher's salaries. The school, including benches and tables, was completed by the end of the year along with 2 wells to supply water for drinking and cooking.
In Congo, we started to help an agriculture cooperative with resources and training. We helped 100 families learn agricultural techniques, change of behavior, diet, health habits, and habitat maintenance. Along with training them, we also supplied them with seeds, tools, a tractor, 3 cows, and drinking water sources. Training and giving them supplies should help them recover from previous years of war as they had to flee the fields. On top of aiding them agriculturally, we also gave school sponsorship to multiple kids including 20 students in kindergarten, 11 students in secondary school, and 1 in the Kinshasa University. Lastly, we finished phase 2 of the education center which will help educate more adults on agriculture and other important life skills.
2017 - Ampasimaneva Projects
Location: Ampasimaneva, Madagascar
Objectives: A destructive cyclone hit Ampasimaneva in 2017, so we kept an eye on the projects we had previously finished to make sure they were still running properly. These projects included: building a school, making a hydroelectric power generator, building a health center, and implementing potable water.
2018 - Welding work station, Shipping containers, and Ambota volunteering
Location: Ampasimaneva, Madagascar/ Ambota, Madagascar
Our main objective of this project was to Finance and install welding workstations for the villagers. We created safer and more efficient working environments, while also stimulating the economy.
During 2018, we shipped 1250 school books, 300 kg of clothing, shoes, glasses, etc to help improve the living conditions in multiple villages and improve the education of the students at the schools we previously created.
During this time we also sent many volunteers to Ambota to help build and schools teach the locals
2020 - Building schools and solar power in Ambida, Madagascar
We Created a school for young kids so they can have a positive effect on the generations to come. This will help bring Ambinda out of poverty in the long run as the students will learn useful skills which will improve the economy.
We installed solar panels to bring power to the school and the nearby village. This will not only help the people of Ambinda in advancing their economy but will also help the world in using renewable energy.
