Vara Mada, the Ministry of National Education, and Global Communities sign agreements with the first schools joining the MIANATRA program

Toliara, Madagascar, July 8, 2026 – On Friday, July 3, Vara Mada, the Ministry of National Education, and Global Communities signed memorandums of understanding with the first 27 schools selected to join MIANATRA, a 14-month pilot program combining the provision of daily school meals and the targeted improvement of school infrastructure.
This program represents a $1.2 million investment by Vara Mada and illustrates the concrete benefits that the Vara Mada project is able to bring to local communities as it develops.
If the Vara Mada project successfully passes its next development stages, Energy Fuels plans to extend this pilot program to new schools and strengthen partnerships with local farmers to provide more food products to school canteens.
The objective is to build a solid, sustainable, and scalable model, capable of growing with the project and generating lasting benefits for education, nutrition, and local economic development.
Ultimately, MIANATRA could have a positive impact on nearly 80,000 people, including approximately 10,000 primary school students, as well as their families, teachers, and local farmers.
The first participating schools are located in the communes of Tsianisiha, Maromiandra, Belalanda, and Toliara I. Eight other establishments are currently continuing their evaluation process before joining the program.
Beyond the implementation of daily school meals, MIANATRA also includes investments in school infrastructure, notably:

• the construction or rehabilitation of kitchens;
• the improvement of access to drinking water;
• the creation of suitable storage spaces.

“We are proud to welcome this program that our communities have been waiting for for a long time,” states Félix Kapaiky, Mayor of Maromiandra.
“We hope it will significantly reduce school dropout rates and offer better prospects for our children.”
“We warmly thank Vara Mada and the MIANATRA program for their constant commitment to the development of our commune,” says Pierre Raelison, Mayor of Tsianisiha.
“This initiative demonstrates the positive benefits the project can already bring to local communities.”
The memorandums of understanding were signed in the presence of local authorities, education officials, representatives of the schools involved, the Regional Directorate of Education, Global Communities, and Vara Mada.
This first phase marks an important step in the deployment of MIANATRA and demonstrates Vara Mada’s desire to work alongside local communities while laying the foundation for broader social and economic benefits as the project progresses.