Mianatra – press release vara mada to provide school meaks to 10,000 children in the atsimo-andrefana region Toliara, Madagascar, May 28, 2026

Vara Mada, an Energy Fuels company, in partnership with the American NGO Global Communities and Madagascar’s Ministry of National Education, announces the launch of MIANATRA. This ambitious program aims to provide a daily school meal to 10,000 primary school students in 35 public schools within Vara Mada’s project area.

This pilot program benefits from a major investment of $1.2 million from Vara Mada, with the goal of delivering concrete, lasting benefits to local communities.

A tangible example of impact for communities

With nearly 2 million school meals planned each year, MIANATRA is a concrete example of what Vara Mada can bring to the region as part of its long-term vision.

Through this initiative, the company aims to tangibly improve the daily lives of children, families, and communities in Atsimo-Andrefana — even before the mining project gets underway.

Because proper nutrition is essential to children’s health, academic success, and development, this program places nutrition at the service of education and local development.

Concrete action starting in 2026

Starting in May 2026, the program will support the installation of essential infrastructure in the selected schools, including:

• new kitchens,
• access to safe drinking water,
• secure storage spaces for food supplies.

Daily meal distribution will begin with the 2026–2027 school year.

A program built with and for communities

Local community participation is at the heart of this initiative’s success.

Volunteer parents, teachers, and community representatives will actively take part in managing and monitoring the school canteens. This approach will strengthen local involvement, shared responsibility, and the long-term sustainability of the program.

In total, across the 35 schools involved, the program is expected to benefit around 68,000 people, directly and indirectly, including students, their families, community stakeholders, and the various parties involved in this initiative.

A program that has already proven itself

MIANATRA builds on a model that has already demonstrated its effectiveness in southern Madagascar. Since 2021, this program has distributed 14.2 million meals to more than 57,000 students in the south of the country.

“This program is a concrete example of what we can do to improve the quality of life of the communities that host us. It reflects our commitment to creating lasting benefits for the Atsimo-Andrefana region,” says Mike Van Akkooi, Country Manager of Vara Mada. “We hope to be able to launch further initiatives capable of lastingly transforming people’s lives as the Vara Mada project moves forward. Even though our mining project has not yet started, I am proud to invest today so that every child has the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and succeed.”

A solid foundation for the future

If the Vara Mada project reaches its next key development milestones, Energy Fuels plans to extend this 14-month pilot project to other schools and strengthen partnerships with local farmers, in order to supply more food products to school canteens.

The goal is to build a solid, sustainable model capable of growing over time.

Through MIANATRA, Vara Mada aims to lay the foundations of a program that is not a one-off gesture of support, but a lasting lever for education, nutrition, local development, and the future of the region’s children.

Contact

+261 34 10 019 61

Watch the feature on the project: http://bit.ly/3RwW3q5