Nurse Nicole Barousse founded Vivre à Madagascar in Labarthe-Rivière in 2004 with a straightforward operational goal: get abandoned and impoverished children in Madagascar into school, fed daily, and connected to basic medical care. Twenty-two years on, the association has expanded its footprint and deepened its service infrastructure across the region, with hundreds of children now enrolled in school and receiving regular meals and foundational healthcare.
The organization held its annual fundraising event on August 15, 2026, on the Place du Bédiaou in Labarthe-Rivière. The venue itself signals a shift. Previously staged along the Garonne riverbanks at Gourdan-Polignan, the event moved alongside the association’s headquarters, which has now relocated to Labarthe-Rivière. Thirty-five vendors operated under favorable conditions on a shaded plaza, and Vivre à Madagascar staffed its own booth showcasing Malagasy handicrafts as part of the day’s activities.
The event’s operational execution rested on a named volunteer roster: Benjamin, Christine, Coline, Eric, Jeanine, Marie-Andrée, Maryse, Stéphanie, Théo, Thomas, and Yannick, with children Keiji and Saya also taking part. These individuals worked across the event in direct support of the association’s core service mission.
That mission runs through a child sponsorship program launched in 2005, which remains the primary delivery mechanism. Individual sponsors or groups commit 25 euros monthly (75 percent tax-deductible with proper documentation) to support a specific child. The funding flows directly into school fees, educational materials, improved living conditions including water access and nutrition, and basic healthcare. The model also builds a relational link between Malagasy children and French families, anchoring support in continuity rather than one-time intervention.
The program currently operates with 112 active sponsors providing individual or collective support. That number represents the association’s main lever for sustainable aid delivery, and the sponsorship structure’s emphasis on education positions it to address both immediate needs and longer-term outcomes for vulnerable children in one of the world’s poorest nations.
Governance sits with President Stéphanie Mercier and board members Coline Arnaud, Maryse Arnaud, Aurélie Blanc, Yannick Duchène, and Michèle Thouvenot. Details on operations and sponsorship opportunities are available at https://www.petiterepublique.com/2026/08/20/labarthe-riviere-lassociation-vivre-a-madagascar-au-secours-des-enfants-abandonnes/
The relocation of headquarters and the continued growth of the sponsorship base point to an organization consolidating rather than coasting. Whether the 112 active sponsors can grow to match the scale of need in Madagascar remains the practical question the association carries into its next chapter.