Hi my name is Molly I am 14 years old and I have been give the opportunity to go to Madagascar for 2 weeks with Dyke House school in 2026.

Dyke House Academy and TSAP will be travelling to Madagascar in the summer of 2026. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for our students, allowing them the opportunity to visit a country very different from their own and engage with a culture that they would not otherwise encounter.

The students will be based in the city of Nosybe for the entirety of the trip, staying in a guest house where they will be catered for by local people. The students will also be able to take part in cooking sessions to learn how to cook local cuisine. Throughout their stay, they will take part in reflection activities looking at what they have learned and seen and how this might affect their lives in England. Over the next year staff from Dyke House Academy will work with the Malagasay team to tailor and tweak our itineary to suit the curriculum and needs of our students however the main focus will be as detailed below.

Throughout the trip, the students will take part in 3 different ‘stages’. The first stage will be an environmental experience on the beaches. With many Malagsay beaches affected by plastic pollution, the pupils will take part in a beach clean up with the community. However, this community then use the plastic to build and create items that people in the area need, such as ecobricks, fences and new toys for the children. The pupils will see the success the project has already had and contribute to the sustainability through collecting the plastic and helping to create new items that can be used. As the students are from a coastal area, they will also participate in activities where they look at the conservation strategies they have seen being successfully used and look at how they can implement these in their local area, trying to identify issues that they might encounter on their return.

The second stage is looking at engaging with the local people and their way of life. The students will visit a local school and learn about the education system in Madagascar. They will sit in an English class and see how the local children learn English and be able to work with some of the younger children in the lesson. The students will also visit an adult English class where they will work with the adults, highlighting the differences in the way of education but also the value of education at all ages. While at the school, the students will spend time with a group of younger people of a similar age to swap stories about their lives. They will get to see pictures of the house, the food they eat and how they spend their time outside of school. By engaging with the students away from the classroom, the hope is that a long-lasting relationship with the local area is built so that communication can continue once the students have left Madagascar.

The final stage of the trip will be participating in recreational activities. After spending nearly 2 weeks with the local people, the students will be given time to experience the wildlife and the incredible environment of Madagascar. The students will have the opportunity to visit Lokabe Nature Reserve, where they will take part in a hike through the local rainforest. While here, they will hopefully see many of the animals that are native to the island. They will also learn about the conservation efforts that are in place to ensure that the animals and environment are sustainably protected for future generations. The final activity the students will take part in is a snorkelling session around some of the small islands and coral reefs. Not only will the students be able to learn about the marine life, but they will also witness the effects of how the area has changed due to climate change and coral bleaching.