Projet Jeune Leader (PJL)
One in three girls in rural Madagascar is pregnant before 18. Half of all adolescents don’t know pregnancy is possible the first time they have sex, and there's basically no access to real sex ed or trusted counsellors.
The Idea
Scripted Sex Ed as Core Curriculum
Total Investment
100000
Grants
Equity/SAFE
Debt/Convertible Debt
Funded Since
2024
Geography
Sector
Structure
The Mission
Healthy adolescents in rural Madagascar
How It Works
PJL embeds sex ed as a standalone subject in rural Madagascar middle schools. It’s scripted to make it easy to get it right. Teachers are trained to deliver it well and also offer private counseling. The broad curriculum covers key topics and gives adolescents—especially girls—critical knowledge to make informed decisions, delay pregnancy, and protect their health.
The Dream
All middle school students in rural Madagascar receive scripted sex ed, taught bytrained teachers with PJL’s tools, and integrated into the national curriculum by the Ministry of Education.
Doer: School systems (mostly government, maybe some private schools)
Payer: School systems
Why We're In
PJL designed their solution with government in mind from the start, and it's paying off—Madagascar's Ministry of Education has committed to direct delivery across 1,700 rural middle schools, reaching 400,000 kids at just $1.52 per student. The curriculum keeps kids engaged in school while equipping them with critical knowledge about sexual health—we’re cautiously optimistic that this will reduce teenage pregnancies. Multiple rigorous studies are underway, and the team's commitment to evidence-based iteration in a challenging operating environment makes this a compelling bet.
The Model
A Solution That Works And Can Scale
Community Buy-in
Engage school leadership and parents through community workshops to build buy-in and trust for the program
Scripted Content
Customize Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) content to local context and package into 108 scripted sessions so it is easier to deliver with fidelity
Core Curriculum (embedded)
Embed theCSE sessions into school curriculum and deliver as a stand-alone, government-backed subject
Teacher Training and Support
Train existing teachers to deliver sex ed and to counsel adolescents
“On Demand” Counseling
Trained teachers are available for 1-1 sessions with adolescents looking for individualized support outside the classroom
Potential for Impact at Scale
Mulago uses four criteria to gauge potential for exponential impact.
This is about impact. There is a body of evidence that shows school-based sex ed shifts behaviors and norms, including delayed and safe sex and relationships. PJL has data on its own program that signals safer sex practices, reduced dropout rates, and improved attitudes towards sexual violence, but they need data from more rigorous studies. They are working to close the evidence gap: they have a cluster Randomized Control Trial (cRCT) underway that to explore potential impacts related to bullying, violence, and sexual activity, and a very promising retrospective cross-sectional study that will look at indicators like pregnancy rates, critical to understanding if this program truly improves the health and wellbeing of adolescents.
This is about scope. In ruralMadagascar, 68% (860,000) of kids are in middle school, but they represent the potential future of the country. Reaching them with solutions that work is worth it. Currently the model is just working in public schools, but PJL is trying to reach more young adolescents. They’re piloting their model in 9 private schools—with an ambition to reach 35% of all private schools in the next 2 years. Madagascar is a tough proving ground—if it works here, it will likely scale more easily in other countries where conditions are less challenging.
This is about the ability of school systems to deliver the model. Government teachers are already delivering the scripted curriculum, and an external evaluation showed they do it with fidelity. But it’s 108 unique lessons over four years, which works because it slots into an empty civics class spot. Whether this is truly simple enough is something to watch in the private schools’ pilot.
This is about the cost of the program. PJL’s intervention is cheap. Very cheap. Start-up costs to government are $1.52 per student and they are targeting $0.50 per student per year. Most of costs are teacher salaries and are covered in existing budgets. With the government already implementing, signals are good that it’s cheap enough for the government to pay, but the national rollout is funded by the World Bank, so if the government could and would pay on their own remains to be seen.
PJL is in early Growth stage, tuning the model and preparing for national scale, while still gathering evidence.
Our Take
PJL’s evidence of their solution’s impact on health is lagging behind their very impressive progress towards scale. But they are working hard to address that, and their retrospective study is a really important opportunity to learn more. The cRCT will also provide more rigorous evidence that we’re eager to see, especially about how early kids become sexually active. The need for this type of education is extremely high, and it is already working in public schools. The pilot in private schools will give us insight if it can work there too. So far, the solution seems simple enough—the MoE is already implementing it—and though currently paid for byWorld Bank funding, it is very cheap. If a government as resource constrained as Madagascar can pay for this long-term, chances are good that it will be something that works in other countries too.
Delivery
Strategy for Scale
A scalable solution needs a smart strategy to go the distance. We focus on the two critical elements of impact at scale: the doer-at-scale (whoever implements the model at exponential scale)and the payer-at-scale (whoever pays for implementation at exponential scale). For most ideas, the doer-at-scale is others—government, businesses, or NGOs.Tech solutions can be the exception, as one organization can often achieve enormous scale on their own. Payers-at-scale can include customers, governments, Big Aid, and—rarely—philanthropy. Where relevant, we also look at other major drivers of scale including tech adoption, policy change, and collective action.
For this solution, school systems are both the doer and payer-at-scale.To have impact at scale, these school systems will need to do it all: train, implement, supervise, and monitor. Government is already scaling the program to over 1,700 public rural middle schools reaching 400,000 kids, while PJL shifts into a behind-the-scenes support role. PJL believes institutionalizing the program within government will require CSE becoming an approved subject and certifiable teacher track, baking the course into mandatory school curriculum and teacher salaries. Currently, funding for public schools flows through government from the World Bank, but the government will eventually need to become the direct payer over time.Ongoing, private schools will deliver the program and pay for it, but the financial model for that isn’t clear yet. The pilot should shed some light.
Capacity to Deliver
A Mulago Rainer Arnhold Fellow, founder and CEO Maia Ramarosandratana is a force of nature. She has found talented people in a difficult place and together they have established a strong partnership with government and an impressive track record, scaling to reach 400,000 middle schoolers by 2026. They are serious about understanding the impact of their work and are actively engaged in a number of rigorous studies to get better evidence on program outcomes.
Priorities and Attached Milestones
Catchup on evidence
2026 Milestone: select best indicators for evidence of “healthy adolescents” and launch cross-sectional retrospective
Show that the government can do this well
2026 Milestone: develop roadmap for rigorous longitudinal evidence with the government as the doer at scale
Test the model, and doer/payer strategy, in private schools
2026 Milestone: pilot PJL in 9 private schools to learn about what it would take to have gov/gov vs business/customer scale strategy
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