From Forgotten Roads to Flourishing Villages

Not long ago, our village of Angodonina in Madagascar told a heartbreaking story. Children wandered the roads while parents left before sunrise searching for work. Many little ones spent their days hauling water, tilling other families’ rice fields, or watching cattle. School had been abandoned. Meals were uncertain. Childhood was a luxury few could afford.

Then Jesus showed up - not in thunder, but in steady, practical love.

I started with the children - walking them back into classrooms with notebooks, shoes, food, and toys. Simple things, but things that said you matter. The road began to empty.

I knew, though, that a child cannot flourish while their parents are still drowning. I placed tools in the hands of mothers and fathers so they could earn a dignified wage. I sat with the women and taught them to crochet. Using raffia - something Madagascar has in abundance - we made beautiful handbags together, and every cent from the sales went directly back to them. For many, it was the first time they had held their own income. I could see something shift in their eyes.

Word spread. The neighboring villages of Ambohibary, Ivoanjo, Ankazo, Alakamisy, Tsarahonenana, and Andranomanga wanted the same, and I couldn’t say no. Today I walk alongside families in all seven villages, and where there was no place to worship, we built one together.

Spiritually, physically, financially and educationally - this community has changed. Drive through Angodonina today and you will not find children wandering alone. You will find mothers with income, fathers with purpose, and children in school.

That is what Jesus does when a community says yes.

- Marie-Josiane, Country Coordinator, Madagascar

This story first appeared in the EMIT Newsletter, First Quarter 2026.