Rich Poshratz

Hello from far away Madagascar. My name is Rich Poshratz. On 31 July it is my birthday and rather than asking for gifts or cards I am hoping you might support an educational project I am involved with. I don’t get paid by the way… all the money raised goes directly into the classes. I am asking you to donate just a little money to our English Language project on the remote island of Ile Sainte Marie (locally known as Nosy Boraha). This island is located off the north east coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar is one of the 5 poorest countries on the planet and local people are desperate to learn English as a route to much needed development. This will be our 5th academic year of classes starting after our summer break in September 2026. Your contribution will ensure that class fees are maintained at a level affordable to local people ensuring all those who want to study can. Currently our monthly fees are around £3 a month for 2 x 1.5 hour classes per week (8 classes in a month). This is roughly 2/3 cheaper than comparable classes. This is important as the minimum wage is around £50 a month for full time work. The classes are an idea of a local teacher Madam Edwige who asked for help with finances 4 years ago when her original English classes failed due to unaffordability. With donations from friends in UK and other countries we have now taught English to hundreds of students over 4 years. We have never turned a student away on financial grounds. If a student wants to learn we find a way, including discrete 100% bursaries for those with no money. This last year we experimented with expanding our classes to employ 3 paid local teachers offering a total of 5 classes per week. 2 intermediate. 2 advance. And an additional completely free class for those with no money or wishing to add an affordable practice class to their study. We have been teaching circa 90 students weekly. With our high quality teaching and the determination of our students, we are seeing a rapid rate of learning with many students quickly being able to effectively communicate in English. These classes are operating at capacity with waiting lists. They are highly successful. Your money will go to subsidise:- low fees bursaries where necessary teacher wages class room rental pens and photocopying teacher IT and whiteboards writing competitions dictionaries and an English Christmas party If you can afford it, please give a little money to help fund our classes for another year. Your contribution is essential and it shows islanders that the broader world supports them and wants them to succeed. Thank you