Projects
MAKING A CHANGE IN MADAGASCAR
We currently have two projects in Madagascar: famine relief and support for orphans and vulnerable children.
Famine Relief | "CIDP (Famine)"
In the spring of 2020, the Food Assistance Project was initiated to raise funds to support people in the southern region of Madagascar who were experiencing famine due to drought. This crisis has unfolded while the nation is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to widespread food insecurity. The United Nations estimates that 1.9 million Malagasy people have been severely affected.1 This crisis also impacts the eleven Seventh-Day Adventist churches in southern Madagascar, including 495 families and over 1,691 individuals. Some of our church members in this region have reported scavenging for insects, mud, and plant roots to alleviate hunger pains and avoid starvation.
The effects of the food shortage prompted MSCID students to formulate a fundraising strategy utilizing budgeting, grantsmanship and fundraising principles to raise funds for the South West Conference of Madagascar. Such humanitarian and developmental activities are part of the Community & International Development Program (CIDP) curriculum. Students have reached out to Seventh-day Adventist unions, conferences, churches and schools in North America, and the considerable financial support we have received has had a tremendous impact. The ongoing famine has compelled us to continue this campaign for famine relief. Andrews University is collecting donations to provide food and supplies to our Malagasy church family.
In 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” We want to team up with you to help alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters and spread the light of hope.
A gift of $75 can feed a family of four for one month. In addition to staple items like rice, beans, oil, salt, and hygiene products, your gift provides trade and farming supplies to support families long-term, helping families build a sustainable source of income through micro-enterprises in trade and farming.
Our goal is $ 35,000
by the end of this year
Orphans & Vulnerable Children | "CIDP (Orphans)"
For several years we have been supporting the education of orphans and vulnerable children in five different locations throughout east and central Madagascar. We are committed to providing higher education opportunities for these children, enabling them to develop the skills they need to become self-reliant.
This project sponsors roughly 100 children located in central and eastern part of Madagascar. We support 30 orphans combined at 2 orphanages, 35 autistic children at an Autistic Center, 47 vulnerable and orphaned students at a school, and foster families in various locations in east Madagascar. The students we have been supporting are attending high school and university, or starting their own small businesses. Each time we go on a Study Tour we select the projects and beneficiaries we plan to sponsor. During 2020 and 2021 we were unable to go, so we decided to continue with the projects and beneficiaries we had already chosen.
Now our vision has grown. Our program director met a church member who, despite the yearly flood damage to her mud hut, continues to join the community in providing care for the village's orphans. In the future, we aim to support foster families like hers by providing safe shelters and nutritious meals, ensuring the children can grow up healthy, strong and educated.
We are reminded of Psalm 82:3 in the Bible where it says “Defend weak people and orphans. Protect the rights of the oppressed and the poor.” Join us in bringing hope to the lives of these less-fortunate Malagasy children.
A gift of $15 supports a child for a month and provides education for an orphan or support for a foster family taking care of a vulnerable child or orphan.
Total need $ 7,500
by the end of this year
1 Madagascar - Drought & Tropical Cyclone Response Fact Sheet #2 Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 - Madagascar. ReliefWeb. (2023, May 12). https://reliefweb.int/report/madagascar/madagascar-drought-tropical-cyclone-response-fact-sheet-2-fiscal-year-fy-2023
MAKING A CHANGE IN MYANMAR
Earthquake Relief | "CIDP (Earthquake)"
This project originated in March of 2025 and is a partnership between our Community & International Development Program and the Myanmar Student Association (AUMSA). The AUMSA club is known for it's engagement in community change.
In the wake of the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025—one of the strongest in a century—millions are facing unimaginable suffering. Entire communities in Mandalay and Sagaing, near the epicenter, have been reduced to rubble. Survivors, left with no food, clean water, or shelter, are digging through debris with their bare hands as military restrictions prevent heavy equipment from reaching the hardest-hit areas. The situation is made even more dire by 41°C heat, decaying bodies, and an approaching monsoon season that threatens to displace even more and accelerate disease outbreaks. With aid convoys blocked or looted, access to life-saving supplies is critically limited. In response, the AUMSA decided to raise funds to support SDA churches in Mandalay and Sagaing as they deliver urgent humanitarian relief—providing food, water, medical aid, shelter, and the hope and healing found in Christ. As UNICEF’s Julia Rees stated, “The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour.” Together, we can stand with Myanmar in this darkest hour.
Isaiah 58:10 reminds us, “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Now is the time to come together and stand with our churches in Myanmar as they respond to urgent physical needs—offering not only relief, but also the light and hope of Christ in the midst of overwhelming suffering and darkness.