Ecoles du Monde

What Ecoles du Monde does

Écoles du Monde is a French non-profit association (loi 1901), recognized as being of public utility, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Paris. Its mission is the education and socioeconomic development of rural populations in northern Madagascar, anchored by the Besely Campus located 44 km from Mahajanga in the Boeny/Sofia region. The organization operates a continuous educational pathway from primary through secondary, reporting a 99% primary completion rate and approximately 311 enrolled students as of September 2025; in 2023 it opened a middle school (collège) and in September 2024 it launched the Lycée Technique Agricole et Professionnel (LTAP), adding agricultural and technical secondary education.

The organization's core assets extend beyond classroom delivery to include a network of 256+ solar-powered wells and more than 450,000 planted trees, plus Madagascar's first robot-operated astronomical observatory, installed in 2021 in partnership with the Société Astronomique de France. Between its founding and 2016, the organization built 15 schools, 14 of which were transferred to the Malagasy state, a deliberate strategic handoff that consolidated resources on the Besely flagship site. Operations are delivered by a team of 20 employees, with supplementary academic support from partnerships including Paris-Saclay University.

The business model is donation-funded: there are no products or services sold, and revenue consists entirely of grants, patronage, and individual donations channeled through HelloAsso and the support association Aidons Écoles du Monde. Key institutional funders and partners include the French Embassy/MEAE, AFD (Agence Française de Développement), the Réunion Region, Artcurial, Paris-Saclay University, and the Société Astronomique de France. Recent modernization efforts include the Besely Campus 2.0 digital training program launched in May 2024.

Name

Ecoles du Monde

Legal name

Écoles du Monde

Website

https://ecolesdumonde.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Écoles du Monde is a French non-profit founded in 1997 that delivers primary, middle, and technical secondary education to roughly 311 students at its Besely Campus in northern Madagascar, funded entirely by donations and institutional partners including the French Embassy, AFD, and Réunion Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAE

Education Access & Quality (International Development)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYEDADALAB

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYEDADALAA

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYBPADAEAI

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

Keywords

• Rural education services
• Humanitarian nonprofit
• Vocational agricultural training
• Community development programs
• School infrastructure construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The primary revenue stream is donations from individuals. Donors contribute via the HelloAsso/PayAsso platform on the website or by direct bank transfer. Donations qualify for French tax deductions (66% for individuals, 60% for businesses). Specific giving tiers support defined outcomes: €25 for meals, €50 for school supplies, €150 for a teacher's monthly salary, €5,000 to fund a middle school class for one year, €25,000 to build a water tower.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ecoles du Monde is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) recognized as being of public utility, founded in 1997. It operates the Besely Campus in Madagascar, delivering free primary, middle, and vocational agricultural high school education, along with meals, healthcare, water infrastructure, and agroecological community development programs to children and rural populations in the isolated Boeny and Sofia regions.

Product overview

Écoles du Monde is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) recognized as being of public utility, operating as an integrated education and rural development organization in Madagascar. Its core offering is the Besely Campus — a unique, self-sufficient educational ecosystem combining a Primary School (kindergarten to CM2, designed by Jean-Paul Viguier), a Middle School/Collège (grades 6–9, designed by ANMA), and a Technical Agricultural and Professional High School/LTAP (opened 2024, focused on agroecology). These academic programmes are complemented by a free school canteen (two balanced meals daily), an infirmary, and cultural activities including robotics, astronomy workshops, and chess. The campus is anchored by a robot-operated astronomical observatory — the first in Madagascar — connected via fiber internet, enabling remote research collaboration with Paris-Saclay University. Infrastructure also includes solar-powered wells, water towers, and housing for staff. The EDM/FEF+ programme supports teacher training, agroecological development, and campus financial autonomy. Key milestone events include Les Rencontres de Besely (annual forum) and the '50 bricks for Madagascar' Artcurial auction co-funding the LTAP. The organization has built 15 primary schools in Boeny and Sofia regions over 29 years, benefiting over 45,000 children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Besely Campus Primary School Free primary education delivered at the Besely Campus in Madagascar, originally serving children in isolated rural areas of the Boeny and Sofia regions. Programs were transferred to the Malagasy state in 2016 as part of a public-private handover.
• Besely Campus Middle School (College) Free middle school education provided at the Besely Campus to rural children in Madagascar, forming part of the integrated campus educational offering.
• Lycee Technique Agricole et Professionnel (LTAP) Vocational and technical agricultural high school training delivered at the Besely Campus, equipping students from rural Madagascar with practical agroecological, agricultural, and technical skills.
• Robot-Operated Astronomical Observatory An educational astronomical observatory using robotics technology, located on the Besely Campus and operated in partnership with French research institutions, supporting student learning in astronomy.
• Free School Canteen Daily free meal service for students at the Besely Campus, addressing nutrition needs of children from rural and food-insecure households in Madagascar.
• Solar-Powered Water Wells and Infrastructure

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% primary school completion certificate success rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• ArtcurialmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 December 2025Artcurial hosts the annual '50 Bricks for Madagascar' charity auction. 50 artists (including Bao Vuong, Hubert Le Gall, Bernar Venet, Floc'h, Invader, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Felice Varini, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Geluck) transform Madagascar bricks into artworks. Proceeds co-fund the Agricultural and Vocational Technical College at Besely Campus.
• Bao Vuong, Hubert Le Gall, Bernar Venet, Floc'h, Invader, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Felice Varini, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Geluck (and 41 other artists)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 December 202550 artists contributing original artworks to the '50 Bricks for Madagascar' charity auction at Artcurial to raise funds for the Besely Campus agricultural high school.
• Région BoenycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Boeny Region is the primary local government partner. The governor of Boeny co-signed the cooperation agreement with Réunion Region and participates in annual Rencontres de Besely events. Boeny is the host region of the Besely Campus.
• Ambassador of France to MadagascarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The French Ambassador to Madagascar visited the Besely Campus in September 2023, touring the primary school, middle school, observatory, and future agricultural high school site. The visit highlighted France's support for the campus through the Réunion Region and AFD.
• Société Astronomique de France (French Astronomical Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Installed the first robotically operated astronomical observatory in Madagascar at the Besely Campus. The observatory is supervised by researchers from Paris-Saclay University and the Malagasy Astronomy Club Haikintana. Researchers worldwide can conduct remote observations.
• Université Paris-SaclaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021University researchers supervise the robotic astronomical observatory at Besely. Students receive monthly astronomy lessons via videoconference from Paris-Saclay academics. Sylvain Bouley, a planetary scientist specializing in Mars and lecturer at Paris-Saclay, leads the astronomy program development.
• Club Malgache d'Astronomie HaikintanaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Malagasy astronomy club co-supervising the robotic observatory at Besely, contributing to local scientific capacity building alongside French partners.
• ANMA (Architecture firm — Cyril Trétout)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Architecture firm ANMA, led by Cyril Trétout, designed the middle school buildings (grades 6–9) at the Besely Campus, opened progressively between 2020 and 2023.
• Aidons Écoles du Monde (Semur-en-Auxois)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016A French support association that organizes annual fundraising events ('Semaine Malgache') for Écoles du Monde, having contributed €200,000 over 12 years through concerts, dinners, art sales, theater, and other community events.
• Jean-Paul Viguier (architect)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Renowned French architect Jean-Paul Viguier designed the primary school building at the Besely Campus, inaugurated in December 2014, using local and sustainable resources.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aide et Action: French-headquartered international NGO focused on access to quality education for marginalized children, including in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Directly comparable mission (education access via schools and teacher training) and donor-funded NGO structure.
• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières: French non-profit deploying educational infrastructure (libraries, digital tools) to underserved communities in Africa and elsewhere. Comparable French NGO structure with operations focused on education access in low-resource settings.
• Enfants du Mékong: French non-profit supporting education and holistic child development in Southeast Asia. Comparable French loi 1901 association structure, donation-funded model, and integrated education/nutrition/community-development approach.
• Apprentis d'Auteuil: French foundation supporting vulnerable children and youth through education, vocational training, and family support. Comparable holistic education + vocational pathway model and French Catholic/charitable funding base.

Regional players

• Ny Tanintsika: Malagasy NGO working on rural development, environment, and food security in Madagascar. Directly comparable in-country operational base and rural community-development focus.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International: Large international NGO operating in 80+ countries with substantial education programs in Africa and Madagascar. Comparable mission on children's education and rights but at far greater scale and broader portfolio.
• UNICEF: UN agency focused on children's rights and well-being globally, with major education access programming in Madagascar. Comparable mission on rural primary education but operating at a vastly larger, multilateral scale.
• Action contre la Faim: French-headquartered international humanitarian organization fighting hunger, with integrated nutrition, health, and education programming in Madagascar. Comparable French NGO origin, integrated rural development model, and donor base.
• CARE International: Major international humanitarian NGO with rural development, education, and food security programs in Madagascar and globally. Comparable integrated community development approach and bilateral/institutional donor relationships.

Others

• Fondation de France: French philanthropic umbrella organization that channels institutional giving to vetted non-profits, including in international development and education. Comparable in being a French-recognized non-profit ecosystem actor and potential institutional funding counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecoles du Monde