01
Context
Many schools in Madagascar still cook over open fires, often in dark kitchens without windows or proper ventilation. Smoke exposure poses serious health risks for cooks, while excessive firewood consumption contributes to deforestation. At the same time, schools often lack the resources needed to invest in modern kitchen infrastructure.
ADES addresses this challenge by building robust, modular school kitchens that require significantly less fuel, are easy to operate and maintain, and are developed in close collaboration with schools and local communities.
02
Executive Summary
The M240 project improves cooking infrastructure in schools across Madagascar through the construction of 15 modular institutional kitchens each year. It enables more than 2,700 children to receive warm and nutritious meals in a hygienic, efficient and resource-saving environment. The kitchens reduce firewood consumption by up to 80%, save several hours of cooking time each day and protect the health of cooks by providing smoke-free working conditions. The project combines infrastructure, training and monitoring with strong local ownership and contributions.
03
Outcomes
The M240 project sustainably improves school kitchen infrastructure across Madagascar. Schoolchildren benefit from daily warm and nutritious meals, while cooks work in significantly safer and healthier conditions, with less smoke exposure, reduced firewood consumption and lower physical strain.
The modular institutional kitchens drastically reduce fuel consumption and energy costs. This creates additional financial resources that schools can invest in improved nutrition, school gardens or educational activities.
At the same time, the project strengthens local ownership and long-term resilience. The kitchens are planned together with schools, produced locally and supported through training, maintenance and monitoring, ensuring sustainable use even in remote regions of Madagascar.
Timeline
Launch
2020
Pilot-Project
First three school kitchens built in partnership with Bel Avenir
First impact data collected
Monitoring system established
Milestone 1
2021-2025
Implementation
43 kitchens built
Initial assessments conducted on smoke exposure, firewood consumption, costs and time savings
Milestone 2
2026-2029
Consolidation
80 new kitchens by 2029
Technical specifications developed
Standardisation of components
Enhanced monitoring
Scaling
2030
Outlook
Nationally established model
Collaboration with government stakeholders and potential scaling with international partners
Local production and maintenance partners
Project M240
Voices from the project
« Thanks to our collaboration with ADES, we now have an institutional kitchen and have completed a five-day training course on its use. We have experienced many benefits, including environmental protection, significant savings in firewood consumption and shorter cooking times.
The kitchen produces very little smoke, which protects both the health of the cooks and the environment. For me, this kitchen has brought nothing but improvements to our daily work, even though good organisation remains important for its effective use. »
Herimiampita Fenohery, educator at the CERES boys’ boarding school in Andranomiadiloha (Fianarantsoa)
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