Madagascar

In Relationship with Diocese of Toliara

Our Parish Link with the District of Amboasary

On July 18, 2021, St James the Less signed an agreement with the Parish of Amboasary, in the south of the Episcopal Diocese of Toliara, Madagascar.  Since that signing, the Parish of Amboasary has grown to become a District (equivalent to a Deanery here) with three Parishes: Amboasary, Ampanavy and Ankilimitraha.   Each Parish currently has four churches.

Members of our parish have visited the Diocese, assisting with projects and teaching. Each year, a portion of our outreach money goes to the Diocese of Toliara.

We supported American missionaries Bishop Todd & Rev. Patsy McGregor from when they went to Madagascar in 1991 until they left in 2020.  As part of the St James the Less Capital Campaign in 2007, we raised funds to build the Bishop’s Chapel at the Cathedral Complex, in the recently formed Diocese of Toliara.  We have sent out eight short-term mission teams since 2014, helping in many ways including: landscaping around the Cathedral, the Diocesan accounting, and forming a  Days for Girls  Team, which makes and distributes washable feminine hygiene products.  Rev. Lisa Senuta (former Rector of St James the Less) preached at the ordination of Rev. Nolavy, the first woman priest in Madagascar.  In 2019, St James the Less Vestry endorsed the concept of linking our Parish with the Parish of Amboasary and signed the agreement between the parishes in 2021.  The Beatles Mass in 2021 raised over $12,700 for the Diocese, and we contribute regularly from our Outreach Fund. Our mission team in 2025, included our music director, Josh Langhoff, who led a conference for musicians from parishes throughout the whole diocese.  We also distributed water filters in our link district to provide clean drinking water to many people.

Rev. Antsa is the Dean in charge of the whole District, and priest for the three churches in the Parish of Amboasary. Rev Rafaralahy Esoamanana Frederic (Eric for short!) is the priest for the parish of Ampanavy.  Evangelist Thomas and Catechist Alexandre  (not pictured) take care of the four churches in the Parish of Ankilimitraha.

Pictured: Rev. Antsa and her husband, Liva. (top)
Rev. Eric, and his wife, Charlotte. (bottom)

Video: St. James the Less and Amboasary

Meet the people and see the churches in our sister parish of Amboasary in Madagascar, and learn about the relationship that we have shared with them over the years.

Some Geography

Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa. Toliara is a province in the south of Madagascar, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. The Episcopal Diocese of Toliara covers the poorest part of that country. It is larger than Illinois with about 1,000 miles of coastline and 120 miles of “paved” road. The pin on the map marks the location of Amboasary Sud, the community out of which our link parish is based. Amboasary was featured in United Nations reports as the epicenter of serious famine spanning several years.

Education for Toliara

As a way of deepening the two parishes’ relationships, we are sponsoring the education of children in our link Parish, through the Diocesan Toliara Child program, and through a school supplies program. You can give to either program (or both!) through St James the Less.

Toliara Child program
$30 per month per child covers all the costs of school enrollment & tuition fees; school supplies, and uniforms; annual health check, and a Days for Girls kit for girls of the relevant age. Most of the children in this program attend private schools. If you sponsor a child, you will receive their photo, get news of their progress in school and once or twice a year get a letter from them by email – translated from Malagasy. You will find that they are praying for you as you pray for them.

This may be of particular interest to families in our Parish as your children get to learn about life and schooling in a very different country and setting.

Marodo Ankilemasy’s school is a six-room wood and corrugated metal structure, with nearly 300 pupils, and 8 teachers.

School Supplies Program for Children attending a Public School
Public schools are free, but parents have to buy the necessary school supplies. Before we started this program, many children were not attending school because their parents could not afford such items. We have supported the public schools in Marodo Ankilemasy and Ampanavy, enabling all the local children to attend school, and providing teaching materials also. We have also provided the materials for rebuilding the schools following cyclone damage.

In 2026, we hope also to support the pre-school in Tsihaviandro to build a second classroom, and to provide filters for the three public schools, and the private school which most of our sponsored children attend.

A one-time gift of $20 provides the necessary supplies for a child to go to school for the whole academic year, and help provide the teachers with supplies and textbooks.

This program is ideal for anyone wanting to make a donation to help children with their education without developing a personal relationship with a family in Toliara. Maybe your child would like to make their own donation to enable a child to attend school.

Further information on both programs can be found on this introductory video from 2022 and brochure or by emailing Sue Babbs at this address. To sign up for one of the programs, please complete this form.

Other Education Initiatives in the Diocese

In addition to the Toliara Child education sponsorship program, the Diocese itself runs four schools. The Rooted in Jesus discipleship program teaches new Christians about the Bible and how to live their new faith. In some areas there are also adult literacy programs.

Saint Patrick’s Theological College trains people from all over Madagascar to share the gospel and build new church communities, and thus equips other dioceses too.

Meeting the Needs of People

Amboasary was featured in United Nations reports as the epicenter of serious famine spanning several years. In 2021, the Diocese of Toliara delivered famine relief in the form of rice, beans and water to over 3000 families — whether those people were Christian or not — and when it came time to plant, also distributed seed and young plants to grow new crops.

The relief work of the Diocese led to an outpouring of gratitude and trust in God, with 1900 baptisms, over 700 confirmations, and requests to start several new Churches! As a consequence, in November 2021, our original link parish was subdivided into five separate parishes.

The Women’s Center at the Cathedral Complex leads women in prayer and Bible study, teaches reading and writing, paper bead and card making, cookery, housekeeping and laundry skills.

Also taught at the Women's Center is how to sew pencil cases for school children, mosquito nets, clothing, flannel sheets and pillow cases, and Days for Girls feminine hygiene products, plus teaching the associated DfG health and hygiene courses.

Building a Foundation for the Future

The Diocese is making costly investments in its growth — building and equipping new churches, training seminarians, evangelists and catechists, creating economic development projects — as well as organizing emergency relief during famines or after cyclones. Its operating budget for everything else is amazingly small — just over $80,000 for the whole Diocese. You couldn't achieve so much with that amount in the USA! It is wonderful that such a sum can impact so many lives and spread the Good News.

The Diocese was formed in 2013 and is working hard to make itself financially more sustainable. Local contributions grew by a quarter from 2018 to 2020, but the effects of covid and famine have been a setback. The people are too poor to sustain and grow the Diocese without international help. The McGregor Toliara Endowment Fund is being built up to help create a sustainable future for the Diocese. Donations to it can be made via St James the Less.