Protection & Safety
Ny Trano Manga (The Blue House)
A safe shelter for women and girls in need of immediate protection from gender-based violence, rape, and forced child marriage, together with their children.
Ny Trano MangaSouthern Madagascar
Saving and Improving Women’s Lives.
We established and now operate Madagascar’s first women’s shelter. Now, we are moving to the next stage: Cyclone Valley, our Women’s Employment, Entrepreneurship & Leadership Center, with two distinct pathways: Opportunity & Livelihood, and the Cyclone Valley Technology Campus.
DONATE - HELP US BUILD WHAT’S NEXT- Legal statusU.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit
- EIN35-2854139
- Shelter operating sinceJanuary 2025
- Local partnerTERATANY, Madagascar
The place
Why Southern Madagascar?
Where poverty, gender inequality, and the climate crisis intersect.
In the remote south of Madagascar, women and girls live in one of the country’s most challenging environments. Extreme poverty, isolation, gender-based violence, and forced child marriage are compounded by high vulnerability to drought, water scarcity, cyclones, and flooding. The region receives limited international attention and resources, making targeted support especially powerful in creating meaningful, lasting change.
- 90%+PovertySouthern Madagascar
- 39%Child marriageMadagascar national data
- 31%Intimate partner violenceMadagascar national data
- Climate
frontlineRecurring drought, water scarcity, cyclones, and flooding
Madagascar
Ambovombe - Androy Region
Proof of action
Ny Trano Manga
The Blue House
Madagascar’s first women’s shelter
In January 2025, together with TERATANY, a registered local, women-led NGO in Madagascar, we established Ny Trano Manga (The Blue House), Madagascar’s first dedicated emergency residential shelter for women and girls affected by gender-based violence, rape, and forced child marriage.
The shelter provides women and their children with a safe place, food, medical care, emotional support, and guidance toward safer lives.
- ~80Women supported
- 100+Children supported
- Since
Jan 2025Continuous protection and support
Inside Ny Trano Manga
Take a 49-second look inside Madagascar’s first women’s shelter.
The partnership
Local Leadership. International Partnership.
Our work in Southern Madagascar is built on a partnership with TERATANY, a registered local, women-led NGO in Madagascar, founded and led by Mamy Duata. Field operations are managed by members of the local community who understand the realities, culture, and needs from within.
IRC Africa Inc. works alongside them on strategic development, fundraising, and building international relationships, with accountability and transparency in the management of resources and a meaningful, ongoing presence in the field.
200+
The Local Leadership Behind Our Work
Mamy Duata, Founder and CEO of TERATANY, leads the local team and the day-to-day work in Ambovombe. She manages the organization’s field operations, works with women and families, and maintains ongoing relationships with the community and local authorities.
When Mamy herself faced violence and hardship and needed protection and support, there was nowhere for her to turn. Today, she is the person other women turn to. That experience is also a driving force behind her leadership and her commitment to women and girls in the community.
The pathways
No Single Solution Fits Every Woman
That is why we are developing distinct pathways for protection, employment, and technology, designed around women’s different needs, circumstances, and starting points.
Cyclone Valley
Women’s Employment, Entrepreneurship & Leadership Center
Cyclone Valley is the name of the overall Center. It includes two distinct pathways for women with different starting points.
Opportunity & Livelihood
A pathway designed primarily for women with little or no formal education, providing vocational training and practical tools to earn an income and build greater economic independence.
Eligible women who have stayed at the shelter will receive priority for this pathway, but participation is not an automatic next step after leaving the shelter.
PLANNED - SEEKING FUNDING PARTNERS Opportunity & LivelihoodCyclone Valley Technology Campus
A separate pathway designed primarily for young women and adult women who have completed high school, including those with post-secondary education. The campus will develop digital and technology skills and connect participants with new professional opportunities.
PLANNED - SEEKING FUNDING PARTNERS Cyclone Valley Technology CampusEconomic Independence Is About More Than Income
Economic independence can reduce dependency and vulnerability to gender-based violence, expand women’s choices, and strengthen their ability to provide their families with better nutrition, clean water, and healthcare, factors that can also contribute to reducing the risk of infant mortality.
Change Led From Within the Community
Field operations will always be locally managed, with a deliberate focus on developing women’s leadership. Outside the shelter, programs will generally aim for approximately 20% male participation to broaden perspectives, build community support and make men part of the solution.
The roadmap
What We Are Building Toward 2030
The shelter has proven that we can turn a real need into action on the ground. Now, step by step, we are building long-term infrastructure to create new opportunities and deepen our impact in Southern Madagascar.
Cyclone Valley, the Women’s Employment, Entrepreneurship & Leadership Center
The plans for the Center and both pathways are ready. The next step is securing the resources and partners needed to establish and equip the Center, prepare the local team, and launch the first cohorts.
Climate, Oceans & Gender
We are exploring the connections between oceans, the climate crisis, and the lives of women in Southern Madagascar, including the early research and feasibility work required to establish a Marine Research Center by 2030.
The Center is not operating today. The immediate work is to determine how it can be developed professionally, responsibly, and under local leadership.
EARLY STAGE - RESEARCH AND FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT
Accountability
Your Trust Is Our Responsibility
Donors deserve to know who stands behind an organization, how decisions are made, and how the resources they provide are looked after.
Delaware nonprofit corporation IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity EIN 35-2854139
- Who is responsible Board & Governance The four Directors, oversight, and conflict-of-interest procedure.
- What can be checked Transparency & Documents IRS and Delaware documents, annual filings, external verification.
- How we communicate Safeguarding Privacy, dignity and consent before public exposure.
- Ways to give Donation Hub Every giving method, in one place.
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Candid 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency. Candid provides an external nonprofit profile and transparency information.
Be Part of What Comes Next
We believe the greatest impact comes from long-term relationships. We welcome donors who choose to walk alongside us, get to know our work, and be part of the continued growth of IRC Africa Inc.
We are committed to transparency with our donors, in what we do, the results we achieve, and how we use the resources entrusted to us.
Every form of support matters, whether it is ongoing support, a one-time gift, or another way of standing with our work.
Stay Close to What’s Happening
Not every relationship has to begin with a donation. Join our updates and stay connected to what is happening on the ground: our progress, challenges, stories, and next steps in Southern Madagascar.