Rota and Jemima, twin sisters born in a small village in Mananjary, arrived three months ago at the Mamitiana reception center in Ambohimangakely after being abandoned by their biological parents. “Their father, a traditional healer, refused to keep them because raising twins is considered a taboo in their culture. Their mother, still a teenager, lost her mind upon learning she had given birth to twins,” explained Mamy Harilahatra Rakotoniaina, founder of the Mamitiana center, the day before yesterday.
Five pairs of twins abandoned by their relatives have found refuge in this center. Among them are Esther and her sister, the first twins welcomed by the Mamitiana center. Taken in just days after their birth, they are now 13 years old. Raised with affection by their foster mother, Mamy Harilahatra Rakotoniaina, they are thriving and attending a public school.
In Mananjary, the abandonment of twins continues. The founder of the orphanage fears she will no longer be able to accommodate new children due to a lack of resources and space. The center is already caring for 50 children, including abandoned children, orphans, and the abandoned twins from Mananjary.
The center is currently struggling to feed its residents, which requires a monthly budget of 8 million ariary. The establishment is counting on food autonomy through the cultivation of its 20 hectares of land in Tsiroanomandidy. This project is supported by the Axian Foundation, which donated a Kubota power tiller to launch rice and peanut cultivation. “The center expressed its wish to no longer depend on others to feed these children. That is why we came to offer this Kubota, so that the orphanage can achieve food self-sufficiency,” said Jessica Razakamanantsoa, spokesperson for the Axian Foundation. The Foundation plans to work with the center to help other facilities once its lands become more productive.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-31 06:23:34 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/tradition-un-centre-daccueil-recoit-de.html