IMARA Comoros

Haïna left Comoros for Madagascar when she was 17 to attend university, as tertiary education remains underdeveloped in her native Comoros. She returned to discover that little had changed on the islands in terms of educational attainment and the dominance of traditional gender roles. Comorian girls have higher repeater and dropout rates in primary and secondary school than their male peers [1]. Frustrated by this persistent lack of opportunities in the country, Haïna began supporting local children through educational games before founding IMARA Comoros with a like-minded colleague in 2015.
The 2015 One Young World Summit in Bangkok was Haïna’s first exposure to people from all over the world. Discovering so many people who cared about the issues she cared about proved to be a profound moment and a constant source of inspiration for her. She realised that being fully transparent with her students at IMARA was the best way to change the culture of a corrupt society. Her goal is to help create a generation of young Comorians who not only dream big but who are capable of action, by showing them what action looks like and giving them the tools to achieve it. Haïna incorporates aspects of traditional Comorian learning into the curriculum so that parents can participate in their children’s education. This inclusivity has helped IMARA gain wide acceptance in a conservative society.
IMARA has organised fairs and workshops on STEM subjects and robotics with help from consultants in the US, and its pioneering curriculum is the first of its kind in the country. It was also the first organisation on the islands to introduce the production and use of reusable sanitary pads. This initiative has been such a success that international organisations have received training from IMARA-educated children on the issue.
"If I had to summarise my experience with the One Young World Summit, that’s when the world was brought to me and that’s when I realised I wasn’t an island. Three years later I was selected for a leadership academy thanks to One Young World, which was also a life-altering experience for me"