Help us fulfil our 
£30 pays for one male or female student's fees for one year, covering a student of any level from 1st-10th grade. This includes school fees, notebooks, books, writing utensils for either a girl or boy student.
School scholarships
Only 34% of school-age children are enrolled in school in Velondriake. Most of these students do not study past primary school, and girls drop out far more frequently than boys.
Blue Ventures takes an integrated approach to conservation. Velondriake, a Vezo word meaning 'to live with the sea', is the largest locally-managed marine area in Madagascar. Yet this is also the poorest and least educated region of the island: less than 70% of the local Vezo population has completed primary school, less than 20% has gone through secondary school, and dropout rates are high due to an inability to pay school-related expenses and school fees.
The future of Velondriake's sustainable natural resource management plan depends on an educated population, who can manage the coastal fisheries, understand the coastal and marine ecosystem, and pursue a range of other livelihoods beyond fishing. Educated communities are also proven to have healthier, smaller families, all of which reduces pressure on the fragile local environment.
We believe that improving access to education is essential to preserving the Velondriake ecosystem and sustainably managing its natural resources. Thanks to your donations, Blue Ventures sent over 175 students to school this school year 2011-12. Without your support, these students could not have afforded their education.
The president of the Velondriake Management Committee explains the importance of education
Our mission
Improving access to education is pivotal to building resilience to the environmental and social stresses facing the Vezo community, in whose interest Blue Ventures works.
The Blue Ventures Scholarship Program helps ensure the success of our integrated approach to conservation in the Velondriake region. An educated population is much more able to manage, preserve, and understand the natural resources on which it depends as a community.
Now Blue Ventures is focusing special attention on girls' education. Girls have far less access to education, and higher drop-out rates than boys. Families in the Velondriake region have an average of 6-7 children. When faced with the financial decision of who to send to school, male children are generally given priority – thus continuing the cycle of marginalization of women that characterizes the region. This gender inequality results in poorer health, fewer economic opportunities, and an overall decrease in well-being for women.
Giving a girl an education means improving her knowledge, skills, health, social involvement, and economic opportunities. Investing in girls' education in Africa means investing in an entire community. Educated women have smaller, healthier families, and their average age of first pregnancy is significantly later than uneducated women. Research shows that educated women earn up to 25% more income and invest up to 90% of it in their families.
